The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) supports networks of diverse people and encourages researchers and aspiring or established entrepreneurs to participate as valued members of NSF’s innovation programs and networks. These activities help you make a positive impact on your community and the country.
There are a few ways that you can participate, help others, develop skills, and get support to translate research into technology, work directly with industry, or get funding for a deep tech startup. Get involved through NSF programs or internship/fellowship opportunities:
- The Innovation Corps Program (I-Corps™), an entrepreneurial education program, equips researchers with the skills to transform discoveries into technologies.
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- For graduate students: The National GEM Consortium (GEM) works with the NSF to develop diversity and inclusion infrastructure for the I-Corps program.
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- America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, provides startups with up to $2 million in research and development funding to build a proof-of-concept or prototype.
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- For post-doctoral fellows: Innovative Post-doctoral Entrepreneurial Research Fellowship (I-PERF) funds postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented groups to work with active awardee companies.
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- Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) perform cutting-edge industry-led, pre-competitive research across all areas of science and engineering.
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- For community college students and faculty: Skills Training in Advanced Research & Technology (START) provides teams in two-year Institutions of Higher Education with experiential learning opportunities.
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- The Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program offers researchers an opportunity to develop a prototype or proof-of-concept based on their NSF-funded research.
- The Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) program enables graduate students on an NSF grant to pursue an internship outside of academia.
- Consider serving as an NSF reviewer to learn more about the NSF merit review process.
Sign up for updates about NSF innovation programs and events. Learn more about the opportunities listed above.
