U of A I-Corps Program Enrolling for Summer '24 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.  

The U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation will host a hybrid information session about the program on April 18 at the Brewer Hub in downtown Fayetteville. Applications will open April 24, and the program will run from June to July.

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. 

Ryan Decker, who worked on a health technology application to streamline medical records, said I-CORPS helps to "bridge that gap." 

"I think I-CORPS is the perfect way to go from the college experience into a startup experience," he said. "It's a great way to get relevant experiences no matter what you want to do." 

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

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 $5,000 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. 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 

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.