NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region

Materials, Manufacturing & Energy in the Age of AI I-Corps: Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
2026-10-01 - 2026-11-12 | Virtual Event
Led by the UW–Madison NSF I-Corps™ program, this workshop is designed to help drive your research into innovative solutions and products that improve the world. You take your first step toward entrepreneurship. Participants earn up to $3,000 in micro-grant funding, eligibility for NSF National I-Corps™ (up to $50K), and I-Corps™ Boost.

We are recruiting teams leveraging artificial intelligence as an enabler, or innovating around physical bottlenecks, to solve macro-infrastructure challenges. Whether you are a faculty Principal Investigator (PI) at a higher-education institution seeking to strengthen your competitiveness for future federal grants, or a postdoc or PhD student aiming to maximize the real-world impact of your discovery, this cohort is designed for you. If your research touches any of the following fields, you belong in this program:

Advanced Materials & Metallurgy
Supply Chain & Manufacturing Resilience
Energy & Power Innovation
AI-Enabled Hardware & Process Controls

Course Schedule
All events are held virtually.

Session 1 (Orientation): Oct 1, from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm (Central Time- Zoom)
Self-paced course work and fundamentals work on Canvas (asynchronous): Oct 2-14
Session 2: Oct 15, from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm (Central Time-Zoom)
Session 3: Oct 22, from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm (Central Time-Zoom)
Session 4: Oct 29, 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm (Central Time-Zoom)
Catch Up Week (Q&A): Nov 5, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm (Central Time-Zoom)
Final Session: Nov 12, from 4:45 pm to 7:30 pm (Central Time-Zoom)

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I-Corps Boost - Fall 2026
2026-10-09 - 2026-12-18 | Virtual Event
I-Corps Boost is a modular program designed for individuals who have completed a regional I-Corps program. The program can guide you through essential milestones and is well-suited for those seeking licensing or industry partnerships or those planning to launch their own startup. Virtual and open to eligible Midwest innovators and researchers.

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Iowa State I-Corps - Fall 2026
2026-10-21 - 2026-11-18 | Virtual Event
I-Corps taught by Iowa State University. Class sessions on Wednesdays, 5:30pm-7:30pm CT. Virtual and open to all Midwest innovators and researchers.

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The ISU I-Corps program is a training ground for faculty, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students to learn how to increase the impact of their research by exploring the commercial potential of their research and technology. The five-week curriculum focuses on customer discovery to support the transition of ideas, devices, processes, or intellectual activities into the marketplace or for broader societal impact. This can be realized through the formation of new start-up businesses, licensing agreements, or identifying funding sources to support additional research.

The Ohio State University I-Corps - October 2026
2026-10-23 - 2026-11-13 | The Ohio State University, 1636 North High Street, Columbus, OH, 43201, United States
I-Corps taught by The Ohio State University. In-person attendance required. Location: Columbus, OH. Class sessions on Fridays, 9am-11:30am ET.

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Hosted by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, The Ohio State University local NSF I-Corps program is an engaging, four-week training program for OSU faculty, staff, and students interested in exploring the market opportunity of their research. The Lean Launchpad approach is a proven process to help systematically test key assumptions about your technology/product/service and the customer problems it may solve.

University of Michigan I-Corps - Fall 2026
2026-10-23 - 2026-12-04 | Virtual Event
I-Corps taught by the University of Michigan. Class sessions on Fridays, 9am-11am ET. Virtual and open to all Midwest innovators and researchers.

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This I-Corps course provides a set of skills and entrepreneurial knowledge that can be applied to any career path. It uses the Lean LaunchPad method to give participants a working knowledge of how to think about their innovation ideas from a business and customer perspective, as well as how to conduct customer discovery interviews; the first step in any commercialization process. This free, online course is for faculty, researchers, postdocs, and students interested in practicing and honing their innovation skills. It is open to non-university participants as well.

University of Iowa I-Corps - November 2026
2026-11-02 - 2026-11-30 | Virtual Event
I-Corps taught by the University of Iowa. Class sessions on Mondays, 4pm-6pm CT. Virtual and open to all Midwest innovators and researchers.

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The NSF I-Corps program at the University of Iowa, led by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC), helps researchers, innovators, and early-stage startups explore the commercial potential of their work and make a real impact in the world. Through hands-on customer discovery and the Lean Startup approach, participants learn how to test assumptions, refine their value propositions, and better understand the people they aim to serve. This four-week program is open to faculty, graduate students, staff, and entrepreneurs developing STEM-based innovations or research-driven ideas. Participants work alongside experienced instructors and mentors to gain insights that shape smarter decisions around product development and market fit.
