Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Regional I-Corps Programs and Mason Entrepreneurship Program
What is the cost of attending the programs?
Do applicants need to be affiliated with a university or a hub member institution?
I am a technology-based startup not affiliated with any university. Can I still apply?
Can teams of undergraduate students apply for the program?
I do not have an NSF research award for my technology. Can I still participate in the Regional I-Corps program?
Do all team members need to attend all of the course meetings?
Does participating in the program count as public disclosure of my intellectual property?
The Regional I-Corps program is 100% free.
Do applicants need to be affiliated with a university or a hub member institution?
We are open to faculty, staff, and student teams based out of any higher education or research institution in the US.
I am a technology-based startup not affiliated with any university. Can I still apply?
Applicants need to be affiliated with a university to participate in Regional I-Corps programs. We do welcome community startup teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia that are focused on the commercialization of deep technologies. Our first preference is for teams based out of higher education institutions. The National I-Corps program is only open to faculty-led teams affiliated with higher education institutions.
Can teams of undergraduate students apply for the program?
Typically, MIX programs are more suited to the needs of undergraduate student projects. We encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss your specific project/application.
Regarding our Regional I-Corps programs, if an undergraduate student is working on a research innovation with faculty/researcher, the faculty can apply as the technical lead and the undergraduate student as the entrepreneurial lead
Regarding our Regional I-Corps programs, if an undergraduate student is working on a research innovation with faculty/researcher, the faculty can apply as the technical lead and the undergraduate student as the entrepreneurial lead
I do not have an NSF research award for my technology. Can I still participate in the Regional I-Corps program?
Yes, research projects without NSF research funding are welcome to apply to the Regional program. Participation in the Mason Regional I-Corps program will provide the necessary lineage for participating in the National I-Corps program(if the team meets other NSF criteria ).
Do all team members need to attend all of the course meetings?
For all our programs, we strongly recommend that the full team be present for all sessions. The entrepreneurial lead of the team must be identified as the primary contact who can attend all of the meetings in a cohort.
Does participating in the program count as public disclosure of my intellectual property?
No, participating in the Mason Regional I-Corps and Entrepreneurship Programs does not count as public disclosure. Please note that we, therefore, discourage all teams from talking about the specifics of their technology.
No, participating in the Regional I-Corps program does not count as public disclosure. Please note that we, therefore, discourage all teams from talking about the specifics of their technology. The process of customer discovery is focused on finding the unmet needs and pain points of stakeholders, which is best done without disclosing your potential solutions.
While filling out the application form, please do not disclose any confidential details related to the technology – just a high-level overview of its uniqueness will do.
No, participating in the Regional I-Corps program does not count as public disclosure. Please note that we, therefore, discourage all teams from talking about the specifics of their technology. The process of customer discovery is focused on finding the unmet needs and pain points of stakeholders, which is best done without disclosing your potential solutions.
While filling out the application form, please do not disclose any confidential details related to the technology – just a high-level overview of its uniqueness will do.
NSF National I-Corps Questions
Can I attend National I-Corps without attending a Regional program first?
How can I find a mentor for the National program?
In some cases, yes. If you have an NSF-funded research award for your technology, you are eligible to apply directly to the National I-Corps program.
However, we strongly encourage such teams to attend our Local program to be exposed to the customer discovery processes. If you do not have an NSF-funded research award for your technology, you will need to attend our Regional I-Corps program before being eligible to apply to the National I-Corps program.
However, we strongly encourage such teams to attend our Local program to be exposed to the customer discovery processes. If you do not have an NSF-funded research award for your technology, you will need to attend our Regional I-Corps program before being eligible to apply to the National I-Corps program.
How can I find a mentor for the National program?
Mason Regional I-Corps collaborates with Virginia’s Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP) to offer seasoned entrepreneurs with extensive experience in “The Lean Start-up” methodology as mentors. These mentors provide continuous support from the beginning of our Regional I-Corps program to the National I-Corps program and will assist you throughout your commercialization journey.
However, we strongly encourage teams to actively seek and find their own mentors, particularly from the network they cultivated during the customer discovery process at the Regional I-Corps level. Contact us to explain the process and how other teams have been able to successfully find their own industry mentors.
However, we strongly encourage teams to actively seek and find their own mentors, particularly from the network they cultivated during the customer discovery process at the Regional I-Corps level. Contact us to explain the process and how other teams have been able to successfully find their own industry mentors.