The broader impact/commercial potential of the Southwest I-Corps Node (SWICORPS) project will derive from its extensive reach and its carefully structured programming and research. SWICORPS is the largest Node in the program, covering five states from Oklahoma to the Texas-Mexico border (over 800 miles), and from New Mexico to Louisiana (over 1,000 miles). SWICORPS includes four Research 1 level institutions and will leverage its access to almost 500 degree-granting institutions to build entrepreneurship capacity in the region. SWICORPS will introduce faculty and students throughout the region to the I-Corps entrepreneurial curricula, ultimately increasing the economic impact of their research. The activities of the node will build a cadre of STEM researchers and students with an entrepreneurial mindset and appropriate training to exploit their research discoveries in the marketplace. With nearly half a million students enrolled in Minority Serving Institutions in Texas alone, SWICORPS will focus efforts and outreach to the regions most underserved areas to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
This I-Corps Node project provides training and infrastructure to share the Lean Launchpad I-Corps curriculum with affiliates across a vast and diverse region. It will continue to expand to reach new trainers and impact early-stage startups, including those from Sites located in the region. These activities will help to build a regional critical mass of technology-based companies. The I-Corps Node will raise awareness of the value of entrepreneurship and business skills among science and engineering faculty, researchers, and students through its customized regional programs and outreach initiatives. This Node will build on best practices to develop an effective mentor network and aid teams in identification of mentors for national program training. The partner schools will contribute to the National Innovation Network for the development of new curricula and advanced tools. The node will exploit metrics and outcomes from its regional activities to better understand the entrepreneurial mindset, and to determine which tools best serve entrepreneurs during and after the customer discovery process. Southwest I-Corps Node's recruitment of strong national teams will continue to increase the impact of federally funded research, and will contribute to innovation, job creation, and economic growth, both in the region and throughout the country.
