I-Corps Sites: Type I - An Innovation Corps Site at UMass Amherst

位于马萨诸塞州阿默斯特大学的NSF I-Corps网站让STEM教师和学生参与早期技术商业化和创业的强大培训计划。创新团队（I-Corps）网站是在大学建立的NSF资助的实体，其目的是培养和支持多个本地团队将其技术概念转化为市场。网站提供基础设施，建议，资源，网络机会，培训和适度的资金，使团体能够将他们的工作转移到市场或成为I-Corps团队申请人。I-Corps站点还加强本地和区域创新，并为导师、研究人员、企业家和投资者组成的国家创新网络做出贡献。位于马萨诸塞州阿默斯特大学的NSF I-Corps站点引入了精益启动平台方法，并与NSF的创新团队计划雅阁，促进客户发现体验，同时将参与者与行业和风险开发资源联系起来。多样性和包容性的考虑因素被纳入招聘和课程，目标是扩大和培养女性和代表性不足的少数民族在STEM创业中的参与。该网站的目标是增加校园创业和其他创新成果，改善和丰富现有的校园创新基础设施，并为马萨诸塞州西部的城市和农村地区提供经济发展和就业机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF I-Corps Site at the University of Massachusetts Amherst engages STEM faculty and students in a robust training program in early-stage technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.The NSF I-Corps Site at the University of Massachusetts Amherst introduces the Lean Launchpad methodology and facilitates customer discovery experiences in accord with the NSF's Innovation Corps program while connecting participants to industry and venture development resources. Diversity and inclusion considerations are integrated into both recruitment and curriculum, with the goal of broadening and nurturing the participation of females and underrepresented minorities in STEM entrepreneurship. The Site's goals are to increase campus startups and other innovation outcomes, improve and enrich the existing campus innovation infrastructure, and provide economic development and jobs to the cities and rural areas of Western Massachusetts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.