Division of Research & Innovation
University of Memphis NSF I-Corps Program
The University of Memphis National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program helps to transform discoveries into real-world solutions. This Program offers lab-to-market training, mentorship, and resources to bridge the gap between innovation and commercial impact.
Who Should Participate?
We welcome teams from across the regional ecosystem.
- Faculty Researchers: Advance your knowledge of how to turn lab discoveries into marketable innovations for industry.
- Students (Graduate & Undergraduate): Gain high-level entrepreneurial skills and explore a career as a startup founder.
- University Staff: Apply your technical expertise or institutional knowledge to bring internal innovations to market.
- Community Teams: Unaffiliated entrepreneurs and innovators in the Mid-South region are encouraged to join our cohort to validate your concepts
Program Details: 5-Week Training
Our virtual program consists of weekly 2-hour evening sessions for 5 weeks that cover:
- Customer Discovery: A systematic process of interviewing potential end-users to test and validate assumptions about their problems and how your innovations can serve as solutions.
- Business Model Canvas: A strategic tool to map out how your innovation creates, delivers, and captures value.
- Design Thinking: A customer-centered problem-solving approach to ensure your solution is practical, user-centered, and tailored to market needs.
Why Join I-Corps?
- Increase Funding Success: Participation significantly boosts the probability of securing federal grants (NSF, NIH, USDA, DoD) and prepares teams for SBIR/STTR funding (up to $2M+).
- Market Navigation: Gain the business skills to identify market opportunities, customer needs, and pathways to commercialization.
- Expand Your Network: Connect with industry mentors, investors, and a national network of peer innovators.
- Workforce Development: Students and postdocs gain soft skills in stakeholder engagement, design thinking, and strategic planning that are highly valued in the job market.
- Drive Real Innovation: Translate your work into solutions that solve pressing societal challenges.
Apply for the Spring 2026 NSF I-Corps Program at the University of Memphis.
The Spring 2026 I-Corps cohort will begin on Wednesday, March 18, at 4:00 pm.
Contact us to learn more about the NSF I-Corps program at the University of Memphis.