The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, home to the New England Innovation Corps Node, is partnering with some local organizations to offer a free three-week training program to help local researchers, scientists and engineers explore the potential applications and paths to commercialization of their new technologies.
The National Science Foundation created the I-Corp program, as it’s called, to provide programs and resources to help translate fundamental research into practical applications. The NSF granted $4.2 million to MIT in 2018 to lead the I-Corps initiative in New England.
This three-week training program will mark the first time MIT has brought the I-Corps programming to Maine. The educational institute is partnering with The Innovation Cohort at Maine Medical Center, the University of Maine, and the Maine Technology Institute to provide the programming.
The training program is designed for individuals or teams that have a “new, innovative, and differentiating” technology that may or may not have practical real-world applications. The goal of the interactive course is to determine if there’s a viable path to commercialization. The program will walk individuals or teams through the process of identifying their top customer segments, developing hypotheses about the value proposition they offer each segment, and finding and effectively interviewing potential customers about their pain points. The end goal is to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a viable market opportunity.
Teams the compete the entire course are eligible for a $1,500 micro-grant to continue their market research. They’ll also learn how to apply for further funding through the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
Deadline to apply is Sat., Feb. 15. Apply here.
