A.T. Trotsenko, J. Blaho
CUNY Incubator Network,
United States
Keywords: NSF I-Corps; university innovation infrastructure; faculty entrepreneurship; economic impact
Summary:
Over the past thirteen years, the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (NSF I-Corps) program has become a cornerstone of university-led innovation ecosystems, fundamentally reshaping how academic discoveries are translated into products, companies, and societal impact. This poster presents I-Corps as the “first stop” in the university innovation process—a proven model that equips researchers with early, evidence-based market insight before downstream investments in intellectual property, company formation, or translational funding. NSF I-Corps was created to address a persistent challenge within academic innovation: while universities generate high-quality research, discoveries often advance toward patenting, startup formation, or translational funding without sufficient evidence of real-world demand. I-Corps introduced a structured customer discovery framework that enables academic teams to test assumptions early, shifting commercialization from an ad hoc activity to an ecosystem function embedded within the university. In doing so, I-Corps reframed the university’s role from technology producer to ecosystem orchestrator. Positioned as the first step in the invention and commercialization process, I-Corps provides universities with a common, low-barrier entry point for faculty engagement across disciplines and institutions. Early customer discovery informs intellectual property strategy, strengthens alignment between research and market needs, and supports more efficient downstream decision-making. Importantly, I-Corps does not privilege startup creation as the sole outcome; instead, it enables multiple pathways including licensing, industry partnerships, startup formation, or informed decisions not to commercialize—outcomes that collectively strengthen ecosystem health. The poster highlights how I-Corps functions as connective infrastructure within university innovation ecosystems, feeding teams into accelerators, incubators, technology transfer offices, and funding mechanisms such as SBIR/STTR. By providing validated market insight and shared commercialization language, I-Corps improves coordination among ecosystem actors and increases the effectiveness of public and private investment in research translation. Using the New York NSF I-Corps Hub as a case example, the poster examines how New York State incubators, accelerators, and public economic development agencies have embedded I-Corps principles within broader innovation and economic development programming. Customer discovery and market validation are increasingly reflected in program eligibility, evaluation criteria, and commercialization support services, reinforcing the university’s role as an anchor institution within the regional innovation ecosystem. Finally, the poster offers practical suggestions for other universities seeking to strengthen their innovation ecosystems. Key recommendations include positioning I-Corps as an accessible on-ramp for faculty entrepreneurship, integrating customer discovery before IP and prototype funding decisions, and using I-Corps as a feeder into existing entrepreneurship and acceleration programs. It also outlines how universities without an internal I-Corps program can participate through their regional NSF I-Corps Hub as an entry point into the broader innovation ecosystem. Together, these practices move universities from isolated efforts to integrated innovation ecosystems.