Fostering STEM Innovation

In 2014, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation launched the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program to empower UChicago scientists, researchers, and students to test the commercial potential of their research and ideas. Supported with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and run by the Polsky Center, the I-Corps program is specifically designed for participants working on projects related to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Participants are not required to have previous experience in business or entrepreneurship in order to be accepted into the I-Corps program.

About I-Corps

I-Corps is a highly-experiential, 7-week-long program. Each team will receive a $2,500 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for their participation in the program. Participants are expected to dedicate an average of 4-7 hours per week to the following program activities and requirements.

• Attend Four Classroom Sessions: At least two members of each I-Corps team are required to attend four 3-hour classroom sessions, which are held at the Polsky Exchange. These sessions consist of lectures, team presentations, and visits from guest speakers. In addition, these sessions provide time to foster team discussion, group work, and networking with other cohort members, speakers, and mentors.
• Complete Homework Assignments: To prepare for each classroom session, participants are expected to complete video and reading assignments in order to become more familiar with entrepreneurial topics discussed in class. All required reading materials will be provided by the Polsky Center and will be distributed at the first classroom session.
• Conduct 30 Interviews: In order to better understand the commercial potential of their ideas, teams will test their assumptions by conducting interviews with industry experts and potential “customers.” Outside of class, each team will conduct a minimum of 30 in-person interviews over the course of the seven-week program. Participants are not expected to have any prior experience in conducting interviews. All participants will be trained and learn best practices for how to conduct stakeholder interviews as part of the I-Corps program.

Program Benefits

I-Corps is extra-curricular and participants do not receive course credit for participating in the program. However, all participants will receive the following special benefits:

• $2,500 (per team) grant from the National Science Foundation
• Designation as an NSF-funded project, leading to further opportunities for training and funding through the NSF’s national I-Corps program, Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR), and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program
• Instruction and entrepreneurial education delivered by world-class faculty and staff from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business
• Individualized mentorship and coaching, access to resources, and training from the Polsky Center
• Free membership and access to the co-working space, Fab Lab, events, and additional resources at the Polsky Exchange.

Use of Funds

Each I-Corps team will receive a $2,500 grant. Grants are available for six months from the beginning of the each cohort and may be used to support various entrepreneurial activities related to the program, including:

• Defray the travel costs of entrepreneurial interviews, including taxi fare, airline tickets, and hotel stays
• Attend conferences
• Purchase educational materials or attend other educational programs

Funding may not be used to pay for business services (i.e., legal, accounting, etc.), to purchase electronic equipment, or to pay third-party service providers. The Polsky Center will work with participants to identify appropriate uses of program funding.

Key Dates & Deadlines Per Cohort

A full list of application deadlines and classroom session dates for the 2017-18 Autumn, Winter, and Spring cohorts is posted below. All required workshop sessions will take place on Friday mornings from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at the Polsky Exchange in Hyde Park – located at: 1452 E 53rd Street.

Join the Polsky Innovation Corps

Fill out an application for I-Corps here. You can also preview a list of application questions before you begin. Make sure you’re aware of relevant application deadlines and required program dates before you apply.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee on a rolling basis and those accepted into the program will be assigned to a cohort based on availability. Qualified applicants may be invited to an interview with members of the selection committee as part of the application process.

Team eligibility requirements include:

• a minimum of two teammates, co-located in the Chicagoland region, who are committed to attending all four required workshops and completing out-of-class assignments – we do not recommend having more than four teammates, total;
• an idea or project based in the STEM fields – this idea can be early-stage and teams are not required to have fully-functioning prototypes;
• a current university-affiliated teammate – teams including faculty, students, staff, and alumni from the University of Chicago, partner institutions, and regional universities may apply for I-Corps;
• curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about the process of innovation.

Team composition:

It is required that participants apply to this program as a team of at least two people. We do not recommend that teams apply with more than four participants. Typically, teams consist of at least one scientific or technological expert who is responsible for the team’s idea (“the academic lead”) and at least one student, alumni, or post-doctoral fellow interested in conducting entrepreneurial research and directing group efforts (“the entrepreneurial lead”). The entrepreneurial lead may or may not have prior business experience, but is committed to leading or organizing team activities during the I-Corps Program.

The Polsky Center can help facilitate team formation in order to match people with different experiences onto teams. For more information on how to form a  team for I-Corps, contact Meghan Kinney.

Chicago Booth Student Eligibility

Current students from the Booth School of Business are encouraged to apply to the I-Corps program only if they are working directly with a scientist/researcher from the University of Chicago or other academic institutions, or if they have their own patented technology. Looking for a class that’s similar to I-Corps? We recommend the following great courses: Entrepreneurial Discovery, Entrepreneurial Selling, Building the New Venture, and Lab in Developing New Products and Services.

Past I-Corps Teams

The Polsky Center I-Corps program is an application-based program for teams working on ideas in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Faculty, students, staff, and alumni from the University of Chicago, partner institutions, and regional universities may apply for the program. Past participants have included (but are not limited to!):

• Faculty from Departments of Chemistry, Human Genetics, Microbiology, and Radiology; Harris School of Public Policy; and the Pritzker School of Medicine.
• Masters and PhD Students from Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry, Genetics, and Radiology; Division of the Humanities; the Booth School of Business; and Harris School of Public Policy.
• Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory; the Computation Institute; Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Human Genetics, Medicine, and Microbiology; and the Harris School of Public Policy.
• Alumni from the Booth School of Business and the College.
• Cofounders from the Illinois Institute of Technology Institute of Design, Northwestern University, Rush University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago

View past I-Corps teams:

• 2014-2015 I-Corps Teams
• 2015-2016 I-Corps Teams
• 2016-2017 I-Corps Teams