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INVESTING IN ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION 783

Figure 1. The Geographic distribution of NSF I-Corps Teams award recipients. Geographic map of NSF I-Corps Teams, Nodes
(squares), and Sites (circles) awards from October 2011 to March 2017. The distribution includes I-Corps-L teams and PIs
that have participated more than once to explore the commercial potential of different technologies (Source: https://www.
nsf.gov/awardsearch/ advancedSearch.jsp).

development at locations that the NSF designates as Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science
regional and national infrastructure for science and and Engineering: 2017, a special report from NSF,
engineering entrepreneurship. It also directs the NSF scientists and engineers from under-represented pop-
to create partnerships with other federal agencies that ulations remain behind in educational attainment
enable them to send their grantees to NSF I-Corps and the science and engineering workforce (27,31).
program cohorts or to help them create their own Broadening participation of under-represented pop-
versions of the I-Corps program. ulations is a well-articulated priority at the NSF (32).
Finally, the law authorized the NSF to engage NSF defines broadening participation in terms of
in partnerships with state and local governments, individuals from under-represented groups as well as
economic development organizations, and nonprofit institutions and geographic areas that do not partic-
organizations to provide access to the I-Corps pro- ipate in NSF research programs at rates comparable
gram to support entrepreneurship education and to others. Addressing the challenges of broadening
training for researchers, students, and institutions. participation in STEM is a priority within the I-Corps
program. In an effort to address this challenge and
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES promote the inclusion of entrepreneurial founders
Although a great deal has been accomplished from under-represented populations in STEM entre-
with I-Corps, a number of challenges remain as the preneurship, NSF mobilized a call for supplements to
program continues to scale. According to Women, promote inclusion in entrepreneurship from I-Corps