Commercialize Your Research: U of A I-Corps Program Enrolling for Summer Session

Brandon Howard

A primary goal of I-Corps is to encourage researchers to consider how the commercialization of their research might open new avenues of discovery and promote economic development in Arkansas.

Students and faculty interested in pursuing commercialization of their research should consider enrolling in the U of A I-CORPS Site, which will assist them in bringing their technology to the marketplace.  

U of A's I-CORPS site, STEAM Training in Entrepreneurial Practices (STEP), builds on existing programs that accelerate the commercialization of research by faculty and students.  

"I-Corps is about taking a technology that you either have developed or are working on and seeing, is there a place in the market for this? Can I actually start a business out of what I have developed?" said Julia Loshelder, a U of A doctoral student who participated in a previous cohort.  

Loshelder, who worked on developing technology to improve ways to measure soil water content to conserve water resources, added that I-Corps helps "figure out how this idea we have in the lab, how we can make it universal and helpful?" 

The STEP site accepts undergraduate, graduate, faculty and/or staff teams from any higher education or research institution in the state of Arkansas. The program is also open to business and humanities students who have an interest in technology commercialization. Accepted teams will receive up to $3,250 to support their customer discovery and prototyping efforts.  

Many of the teams that have completed U of A's STEP site have transitioned to the national I-Corps program, where up to $50,000 is available to support customer discovery, said Ed Pohl, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering. 

"I-Corps is a great program for innovators and entrepreneurs to begin to develop their skill set," Pohl said. "Participants spend significant time trying to learn about the market place and potential customer needs." 

Applications for the summer 2023 session close May 29. The program kicks off July 14-15 and ends Aug. 25. 

Teams will also be encouraged to take advantage of the growing Arkansas entrepreneurial ecosystem, which includes resources such as the U of A's Office of Entrepreneruship and Innovation, statewide grant programs such as the I-Fund at Winrock International and accelerator programs such as HealthTech Arkansas. 

About the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation creates and curates innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students across all disciplines. Through the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, McMillon Innovation Studio, Startup Village, and Greenhouse at the Bentonville Collaborative, OEI provides free workshops and programs — including social and corporate innovation design teams, venture internships, competitions and startup coaching. A unit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and Division of Economic Development, OEI also offers on-demand support for students who will be innovators within existing organizations and entrepreneurs who start something new.