I-Corps – into Entrepreneurship #3

Courtesy of the National Science Foundation [NSF] thru Michigan Technical University 11/12 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz 09/13

Validating the Market continued
National Science Foudation’s [NSF] focus is on getting that work done up front.” NSF also stresses that the Lead Entrepreneur is the key player. “It’s not about whether a company directly benefits,” Researcher Diebel said. “The focus is on giving a new set of skills to Lead Entrepreneurs that they can use throughout their careers.”

Focus your Research: Nevertheless, Entrepreneur Winslow thinks they may be onto something. “When we first started out, we had a bunch of different ideas. Now we’ve really been able to identify an area where Boron Nitride NanoTubes could be useful: “Heat management,” he said. “Several sectors are excited, and some companies are interested in working with us.” Should the nano-tubes bear commercial fruit, he would be “ecstatic.”

I-Corps commitment may not be for those who are already working 80 hours a week. “It requires a huge time commitment,” the professor noted. But startup or no startup, I-Corps is already informing his research & teaching. “This process can help us choose the type of basic research we do,” he said. “We can ask, ‘Will this really solve a problem?’ In that respect, it can push us toward high-impact research that is not only good for business, but also leads to a more sustainable society–a society that’s willing to invest in more basic research.”

For more Information on I-Corps visit NSF I-Corps or contact Diebel at 906-487-1082, jfdiebel@mtu.edu. Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences. MTU is located in an isolated corner of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and has about 7000 Students.

Comments: What do you think of I-Corps? Let us know if you get involved.