EAGER: Inclusive Innovation - Increasing the Participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the NSF I-Corps? Program

信息技术和创新基金会(ITIF)在2016年发表的题为《美国创新的人口统计数据》的研究中发现，美国创新者中只有12%是女性，只有8%是美国少数群体(包括亚裔、非裔美国人、拉美裔美国人、美国原住民和其他族裔)的成员。随着美国人口结构特征的变化，一个关键的问题是，“如果不调动所有公民的才智和能力，美国如何保持竞争力？”为了解决这个问题，这项急切的提议将进行探索性研究，重点是整合基于研究的战略和最佳实践，以实现多样性和纳入NSF I-Corps计划，该计划为科学家和工程师准备将他们的研究从大学转移到商业化的目标。通过资助这份热切的提案中概述的探索性研究和试点计划，该项目将支持确定有效的多样性和包容性战略并将其纳入国家i-Corps创新网络的努力。在第一年，该团队将从不同的利益相关者收集定性数据，以了解NSF i-Corps计划的当前实践，并将这些实践与最新的关于包容性创新的学术研究和报告进行比较。因此，将撰写一份研究论文，描述技术创业中包容性创新的最佳做法。在2020年第二季度，这项研究将在一次利益相关者会议上提交，以便工作组能够利用这些信息来制定新的战略，以增加未被充分代表的少数族裔参与NSF I-Corps计划。在这次利益攸关方会议上，将促进创业组织和倡导团体之间的几个新的伙伴关系，以促进技术创业和i-Corps网站和节点的多样性。在第二年，研究小组将与i-Corps的两个站点合作，测试由利益相关者组织开发的包容性创新的初步模型。这一试点倡议将展示和评价实现技术创业/商业化多样性目标的新方法。这项研究的发现有可能加强和改变各级i-Corps计划的参与，并补充NSF扩大女性和代表不足的少数群体参与科学/技术创业的努力，以增强和保持美国创新经济的全球竞争力的整体努力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In a 2016 study entitled "The Demographics of Innovation in the United States", the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) found that only 12% of U.S. innovators are women, and only 8% are members of U.S. minority groups (including Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other ethnicities). As demographic characteristics of the U.S. population change, a key question is, "How can the U.S. remain competitive without engaging the talents and abilities of all of its citizens?" To address this question, this EAGER proposal will conduct exploratory research focusing on integrating research-based strategies and best practices to achieve diversity and inclusion in the NSF I-Corps program, which prepares scientists and engineers to transition their research out of universities with the goal of commercialization. By funding the exploratory research and pilot initiative outlined in this EAGER proposal, the project will support efforts to identify and integrate effective strategies for diversity and inclusion into the national I-Corps innovation network.In year one, the team will collect qualitative data from various stakeholders to understand the current practices of the NSF I-Corps program and compare these practices to the most current academic research and reports on inclusive innovation. As a result, a research paper will be written to describe best practices for Inclusive Innovation in technology entrepreneurship. During the 2nd quarter of 2020, this research will be presented at a stakeholders meeting such that working groups can leverage the information to develop new strategies for increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in the NSF I-Corps program. At this stakeholders meeting, several new partnerships will be facilitated between the entrepreneurship organization and advocacy groups that promote diversity in tech entrepreneurship and the I-Corps Site and Nodes. In year 2, the research team will work with two I-Corps Sites to test a preliminary model for inclusive innovation developed by the stakeholder organizations. This pilot initiative will demonstrate and evaluate new approaches to achieving diversity goals in technology entrepreneurship/commercialization. The findings from this research have the potential to enhance and transform the participation in the I-Corps program at all levels, and complement NSF efforts to broaden participation of women and underrepresented minorities in science/technology entrepreneurship towards the overall effort to enhance and maintain the global competitiveness of America's innovation economy.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.