Award Abstract # 1444045
I-Corps Node: Southwest Alliance for Entrepreneurial Innovation Node (SAEIN)

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
Initial Amendment Date: August 21, 2014
Latest Amendment Date: June 25, 2019
Award Number: 1444045
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Andre Marshall
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: September 1, 2014
End Date: August 31, 2019 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $3,750,000.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $4,405,499.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2014 = $1,250,000.00
FY 2015 = $1,305,500.00

FY 2016 = $1,410,000.00

FY 2017 = $439,999.00
History of Investigator:
  • Daniel Jaffe (Principal Investigator)
    dtj@austin.utexas.edu
  • George McLendon (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Richard Lester (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Juan Sanchez (Former Principal Investigator)
  • Vicki Colvin (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Johnny Hurtado (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Valerie Taylor (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Heath Naquin (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Robert Peterson (Former Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Texas at Austin
110 INNER CAMPUS DR
AUSTIN
TX  US  78712-1139
(512)471-6424
Sponsor Congressional District: 25
Primary Place of Performance: University of Texas at Austin
2815 San Gabriel
Austin
TX  US  78705-3512
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
25
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): V6AFQPN18437
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): I-Corps,
I-Corps-Nodes,
SBIR Outreach & Tech. Assist
Primary Program Source: 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01001516DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001617DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01001718DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 8045
Program Element Code(s): 802300, 804500, 809100
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

This project establishes an I-Corps Node that is focused on promoting innovation in the Southwest region of the United States (the Southwest Alliance for Entrepreneurial Innovation Node - "SAEIN"). SAEIN efforts will leverage the combined entrepreneurial experience and extensive research capabilities of three lead research institutions: The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), Texas A&M University (TAMU), and Rice University (Rice). Geographically, SAEIN will serve an area of more than 268,000 square miles and help foster the implementation of I-Corps methodologies across a collaborative group of more than 30 institutions of higher learning. SAEIN will specifically engage numerous Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to implement the I-Corps curriculum and methods as both a standard for entrepreneurial training and a mechanism to broaden participation in STEM fields. SAEIN has the potential to introduce NSF I-Corps curriculum to more than 710,000 community college students and almost 4.8 million K-12 students in the state.

SAEIN will engage the use of I-Corps methodology throughout entrepreneurship-focused entities and events, including regional academic incubators, the Small Business Development Centers, high profile business plan competitions, and the international South by Southwest (SXSW) event. SAEIN will augment the NIN capabilities by building on the unique economic strengths, labor characteristics, lean manufacturing capabilities, and the innovation ecosystem found in the Southwest region. The Node will generate tremendous exposure for the I-Corps program nationwide and provide a unique platform for innovation promotion and venture development.

SAEIN engages a strong alliance of institutions that are already connected by a large volume of NSF-supported research projects. It seeks to advance economic growth goals for the region and nation through a variety of programs and activities that employ the business model canvas and team-based discovery practice to best understand the intellectual property resulting from these projects. SAEIN will study the deployment of I-Corps methodologies into regional community college systems and investigate ways to increase STEM participation and 4-year transfer rates from community colleges through the application of I-Corps. Specific Level 3 research thrusts will explore: 1) Lean LaunchPad research that is targeted at vetting the impact of pivots and customer discovery on entrepreneurial success and scientific outcomes; 2) development of a STEM research canvas model that is focused on producing suitable STEM learning sets focused on K-12 STEM learners (consistent with the Business Model Canvas and I-Corps methodologies); and 3) I-Corps Team Modeling and Development, with a focus on exploring the effectiveness of new teaming models around I-Corps methodologies from different populations (i.e., community colleges, K-12, additional external groups).

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

Southwest Innovation-Corps Node (SWICORPS)

Project Outcomes Report

 

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

 

From 2014-2019, The University of Texas at Austin collaborated with Texas A&M University and Rice University on the Southwest I-Corps™ Node (SWICORPS), part of the National Innovation Network (NIN) established by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Texas Tech University formally joined the Node in 2016. The Node also worked closely with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Research Center as an unofficial Node partner during this period.  MD Anderson joined as an official partner for the second Node grant award. SWICORPS achievements include:

 

1) SWICORPS worked closely with over 30 academic institutions in the Southwest region, many of which then successfully secured I-Corps™ Site funding with the support of the Node. 

 

2) Over the course of the project, SWICORPS has trained more than 500 teams with over 1100 participants from over 30 institutions in the region. 

 

3) The SWICORPS Teaching Team has successfully tested and validated the effectiveness of various training models of the Lean Launchpad methodology and has identified a strong vetting process for national team lineage selection, with an over 90% acceptance rate of teams who complete a Node regional to the national program. 

 

4) Through detailed analysis and feedback from regional participants, SWICORPS developed a 3-week short course (regional program) that includes an introductory webinar, an in-person opening workshop, a midterm webinar, and an in-person closing workshop for a total of 30 interviews minimum. 

 

5) SWICORPS created the concept of a “Super Regional” program out of a need to better serve rural teams and teams from newly formed Sites, allowing these teams to get hotel and transportation assistance to attend programs (with 18-22 teams) in large metropolitan areas, and conduct customer discovery. It additionally enabled Site leaders to learn the process and train staff and instructors. 

 

5) SWICORPS conducted an SBIR Phase 0 pilot program in 2018 and supported 11 teams through the national I-Corps program, 10 of which continued through the pilot training with the Austin Technology Incubator, and ultimately attended an SBIR grant writing workshop. 

 

6) SWICORPS held its first all-female regional cohort in partnership with Texas Women’s University to encourage more female researchers to explore commercialization of their work. 

 

7) SWICORPS hosted two national programs each year, and built a strong teaching team of 6 core and 6 adjunct faculty. 

 

8) Two research efforts led to publications and two ongoing research activities continue. 

  1. Spinuzzi, C. Altunian, Pogue, G.P. 2019. “Go or No Go: Learning in an Early-Stage Student Entrepreneurship Program. IEEE International Professional Communication Conference ProComm 2019.
  2. Spinuzzi, C. Altunian, D. Cochran, R., Azhu, L. Pogue, G.P. 2018. Articulating problems and markets: A translation analysis of entrepreneurs’ emergent value propositions. Written Communications. 35 (4), 379-410.

Ongoing projects include:

  1. Improving the Efficacy of Academic Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Through NSF I-CorpsTM, Elsie Echeverri-Carroll, Marco Bravo, and Evan Johnston, The University of Texas at Austin
  2. Engineering Design and Technology Commercialization: Improving Customer Discovery & Needs Analysis, Marco Bravo, Steven P. Nichols, Norman Kaderlan.

 

 


Last Modified: 11/22/2019
Modified by: Daniel T Jaffe

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