UMD I-CORPS  

A Scholar's Program for Industry-Oriented Research in Engineering

About UMD I-Corps

I-Corps is a National Science Foundation (NSF) program designed to foster, grow, and nurture innovation ecosystems regionally and nationally. The University of Maryland is the lead institution of the NSF I-Corps Hub: Mid-Atlantic Region and a member of the National Innovation Network.

I-Corps provides real world training on how to incorporate innovations into commercially viable companies to solve societal problems. The curriculum is based on the Lean Startup framework, through which researchers can better understand the market potential of an innovation and their next steps for commercialization.

Participating in an introductory I-Corps Course is a required component of commercializing technology at the University of Maryland.

The program is comprised of two parts: the self-paced I-Corps Prep mini course, and the Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Customer Discovery Workshops. Participants do not need to start a company to apply or attend a workshop.

For a new venture to create a meaningful, scalable and repeatable business model, that could lead to a profitable company, is a daunting task. For our team, the UMD I-Corps program ended up being an invaluable resource with multiple benefits.

Liza Pikus

Executive VP Operations, InventWood, LLC,
February 2020 UMD I-Corps cohort

Get Application Forms

Want to learn more about the program?