The Center for Entrepreneurship and UNLV College of Engineering earned the distinguished honor of becoming an NSF
I-Corps site and was awarded a three-year, $255,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support site activities.
As an NSF I-Corps site, the Center will incubate 15 to 25 projects a year. Faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students,
staff, and alumni are encouraged to apply to be part of this exciting program!
Selected teams will be selected to receive up to $3,000 plus mentoring support for three months!
See detailed information below for eligibility requirements and application process.
To apply, visit the I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region
What is the I-Corps Hub?
The multi-state NSF I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region, is an intentionally curated partnership of eight universities across five states: Arizona, California, Hawai‘i, Idaho, and Nevada. The regional Hub model increases capacity for innovation development from universities by expanding upon the conventional geographies of innovation to more disconnected areas that are typically outside of venture development hubs, or are emerging, and connecting them to more experienced and resource-rich areas.
By synergistically combining nascent, emerging, and mature research and entrepreneurial areas of strength across the region and doing so in a way that is additive and not competitive, the Desert and Pacific Region Hub allows for individualized and collective success.
Why Apply?
- Mentoring from local experts
- Seed Funding ($1k – $3k)
- Opportunity to be referred for a $50,000 NSF I-Corps team award
- Free educational resources
- Access to the Center’s network including resources, opportunities to engage with the entrepreneur community, events, and funding opportunities
- Help commercializing your idea
- Prestigious NSF I-Corps curriculum based on the Lean Launchpad methodology
- Follow-on Funding Opportunities: Center’s technology acceleration programs ($40k-$100k), SBIR programs ($150k), VentureWell programs ($5k-$50k)
Who is Eligible?
- UNLV Faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, staff, and alumni
- Must identify an academic lead: will serve as Principle Investigator (PI), is typically a UNLV Faculty/Staff member
- Must identify an entrepreneurial lead: can be a student, faculty/staff, or alumni
- Must identify an industry mentor: cannot be a UNLV employee. The Center for Entrepreneurship can help you find a mentor if you need help identifying one.
- Must attend the Lean LaunchPad Training
