I-Corps Hub: Mid-Atlantic Region

这个i-Corps Hubs项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是催化一个包容性的中大西洋创新网络，以刺激深度技术初创企业的发展，这些初创企业将对地区、国家和全球产生亟需的经济和社会影响。研究型大学的定位是支持科学发现的商业化，而美国国家科学基金会i-Corps加速了大学发起的深度技术企业的增长和影响。经验丰富的中大西洋地区i-Corps中心团队将以i-Corps节点的初步成功为基础，继续在该国几所顶尖研究型大学进行文化转型，将创新实践嵌入到研究的概念化和进行中；解决关键的社会问题；并创造就业、机会和经济价值。该中心项目与《美国创新和竞争力法案》的目标直接一致，该法案对大西洋中部等以前的工业化地区至关重要，因为由于美国制造业的转移，加上疫情造成的破坏，该地区正在经历重大的经济动荡。此外，中心的愿景和战略将多样性、公平性和包容性放在首位，特别是在代表性不足的群体和服务不足的少数族裔以及历史上一直是黑人学院和大学(HBCU)的少数族裔机构中。i-Corps计划的课程建立在科学方法的基础上，其中包括假设检验、构建-测量-学习周期和持续迭代。这个项目和团队产生了多个结果：改变研究方向，从赠款或私人投资者那里获得资金，或者成立初创公司并通过收入增长。同样重要的是，该计划的影响会持续多年。中心模式能够对区域影响以及影响计划本身效力的方案、环境和个人因素进行系统和全面的分析。了解i-Corps计划对谁以及在什么条件下最有效，以及哪些因素有助于或削弱i-corps的有效性，对于了解i-Corps的持续增长和规模至关重要。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps Hubs project is to catalyze an inclusive Mid-Atlantic innovation network to spur the development of deep technology startups that will have much-needed economic and societal impacts regionally, nationally, and globally. Research universities are positioned to support commercialization of scientific discoveries, and NSF I-Corps accelerates the growth and impact of university-launched deep technology ventures. The uniquely-experienced Mid-Atlantic Region I-Corps Hub team will build on the initial success of I-Corps Nodes to continue the cultural transformation at several of the country's top research universities to embed innovative practices into the conceptualization and conduct of research; to solve critical societal problems; and to create jobs, opportunities, and economic value. This Hub project directly aligns with the goals of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which is critically important for previously industrialized regions such as the Mid-Atlantic region as it is experiencing significant economic turmoil due to shifts in American manufacturing industries, compounded by disruptions due to the pandemic. Also, the Hub vision and strategy prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly among underrepresented groups and underserved minorities and minority institutions like Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).The I-Corps program curriculum is built on scientific methods that incorporate hypothesis testing, the build-measure-learn cycle, and continuous iteration. Multiple outcomes result from the program, teams: change research directions, get funding from grants or private investors, or form start-up companies and grow through revenue. Equally important, the impact of the program accrues over many years. The Hub model enables alignment of a systematic and comprehensive analysis of regional impacts, as well as the programmatic, environmental, and individual factors that mediate the efficacy of the program itself. Understanding for whom and under what conditions I-Corps programs are most effective, and what factors contribute to or detract from this effectiveness is critical to inform the continued growth and scaling of I-Corps.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.