UMD I-CORPS

Term: Summer and Fall 2026 (June-December 2026)
Hours: Approximately 20 hours per week
Pay: $18-22/hour
Location: University of Maryland, College Park (in person)
Department: Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech), A. James Clark School of Engineering

Role Overview

The I-Corps Venture Fellow is a part-time, in-person role for a highly motivated University of Maryland student interested in cross-disciplinary problem solving, research impact, and innovation. This opportunity is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors, and graduate students at UMD with strong interest in communications, reporting, program support, and innovation-focused initiatives.

The role is designed to appeal to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including the humanities, social sciences, public policy, communications, business, and STEM fields. Success in this role depends less on technical background and more on critical thinking, initiative, strong writing, organization, and the ability to support complex projects with care and professionalism.

The Venture Fellow will support the University of Maryland’s NSF I-Corps programming, with a particular emphasis on communications, reporting, special projects, and program coordination. The Fellow will also contribute to activities related to NSF’s Technology Scouting initiative within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP).

No specific major is required. Applicants with strong writing, analytical, organizational, and project support skills are encouraged to apply, including those whose experience comes from coursework, student organizations, internships, research, communications, service, or other leadership roles.

What You’ll Do

• Support the planning and execution of I-Corps training programs, workshops, and related events
• Assist with communications for program participants and stakeholders, including email outreach, slide development, website updates, summaries, and other written materials
• Help prepare reports and track program outcomes, participation, and impact metrics
• Organize information and maintain accurate records across spreadsheets, project trackers, CRM systems, and related tools
• Provide operational and instructional support for I-Corps cohorts, including workshop logistics, team communication, and follow-up coordination
• Serve as a responsive point of contact for participating faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and startup teams
• Develop and collect technology prospectuses from researchers across the university with a focus on commercialization potential
• Contribute to special projects related to innovation programming, entrepreneurship initiatives, and NSF’s Technology Scouting activities
• Support additional programmatic, communications, and reporting needs across Mtech innovation initiatives as needed

What We’re Looking For

Applicants from all majors and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. A strong candidate will bring:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information clearly
• High attention to detail and strong organizational habits
• Motivation, reliability, and the ability to manage multiple responsibilities
• Interest in innovation, entrepreneurship, public impact, research translation, or mission-driven programs
• Comfort working with spreadsheets and learning new systems or platforms

Experience with communications, reporting, event support, research administration, student leadership, journalism, project coordination, or program operations is helpful, but not required.  Experience with common office applications such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, and Slides) is helpful but not required. 

About I-Corps

NSF I-Corps is a nationally recognized program that helps researchers explore the real-world potential of their work through customer discovery, entrepreneurial training, and structured feedback. The program supports the translation of ideas into practical applications with societal and economic impact.