I-Corps Sites: Type II - University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Lean Entrepreneurship Advancement Program (LEAP)

Award ID: 1829278

This project, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, extends their NSF I-Corps Site for scale up to their next phase of support for innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. This is a proposal for a Type II I-Corps Site. Type II proposals are submitted by institutions that have already received a Type I award. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas continues operation of the Lean Entrepreneurship Advancement Program (LEAP) to aid commercialization of student, faculty and community innovations. The I-Corps Site committee utilizes the resources and expertise of the Troesh Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (TCFEI), the Division of Research and Economic Development (DREC), and the Mendenhall Innovation Program (MIP) to execute the LEAP at UNLV. Type II funding will allow the program to fund the increasing number of I-Corps teams due to the rapidly changing commercialization environment at UNLV and the region. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman