This project, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP), establishes an NSF I-Corps Site. Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.
This project funds teams recruited from faculty research labs, student research projects and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Technology Transfer/Startup Programs to engage in entrepreneurial training and customer discovery with the aim of learning about and experiencing lean startup methods. The site is supported by a network of faculty and industry mentors who serve as advisors to teams. The goals of the CPP I-Corps Site are to prepare teams to qualify and succeed in the I-Corps National Program and to develop a local innovation ecosystem to bolster the national innovation ecosystems.
This CPP Site provides opportunities for under-represented minority (URM) and low-income students to collaborate with faculty researchers and industry mentors to transition scientific discoveries and other Intellectual Property into the market place. CPP, is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). Successful implementation of the program could serve as a model for other institutions that serve large populations of URMs and students from low-income communities, including other HSIs and AANAPISIs. This project also has the potential to contribute to the economic development of the City of Pomona and the San Gabriel Valley Region in eastern Los Angeles County, an area significantly below state and national averages on major indices of economic development.
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.
