Vanderbilt University by the National Science Foundation to lead the new Mid-South Hub, a group of nine universities that make up a regional coalition of diverse, tech-forward institutions to promote inclusive innovation, spur economic development and prosperity and transform Midsouth metro areas into growth and commercialization centers for STEM-related technologies.听听
The new hub, which will be directed by staff from the Wond鈥檙y, Vanderbilt鈥檚 Innovation Center, will launch in January 2023 and is expected to help the region maximize its innovation potential through at least 2028.
鈥淰anderbilt is honored and ready to lead the Midsouth鈥檚 first I-Corps Hub,鈥� Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. 鈥淭his role aligns perfectly with our position as a leading center of research and innovation, and with our efforts to help cultivate a thriving ecosystem supporting invention and entrepreneurship in our region. By applying our knowledge, capacity for discovery and spirit of collaboration, Vanderbilt can help solidify Tennessee鈥檚 reputation as a dynamic region admired as much for its innovative and economic horsepower as for its culture and quality of life.鈥�听
The NSF first designated Vanderbilt and the Wond鈥檙y as an I-Corps site in 2017, offering training, microgrant funding, application review, interview preparation and proposal resources for researchers and entrepreneurs with STEM-related innovations. In five years, more than 25 teams of innovators from Vanderbilt and Meharry Medical College have completed the I-Corps program at the Wond鈥檙y and gone on to complete the National I-Corps program, each receiving $50,000 to support the translation of their ideas and research into inventions that improve health care for underserved populations, strengthen cybersecurity, produce clean energy, support people battling drug abuse and mental health disorders and more.听
The new effort surrounding the development of an inclusive innovation corridor across the Midsouth will be facilitated by the Wond鈥檙y鈥檚 Charleson Bell, director of entrepreneurship, biomedical innovation and I-Corps, and by Deanna Meador, deputy director. will become hub director and lead instructor, respectively. David A. Owens, Evans Family Executive Director, and Mandy Lalrindiki, program manager of innovation and design research, will also serve in vital roles on the hub leadership team. Mid-South I-Corps Hub leadership will leverage existing programming focused on customer discovery and research commercialization with joint teaching teams from I-Corps partner institutions. Teaching teams will reflect the full breadth of diversity in innovation, including race and ethnicity, gender and product category expertise.
鈥淭he Mid-South I-Corps Hub is for everyone. Led by Vanderbilt with an intentional emphasis on inclusive innovation, this hub will accelerate the translation of groundbreaking university research outcomes into commercialized ventures that seed emergent, prosperous innovation ecosystems across the Midsouth,鈥� Bell and Meador said in a statement. 鈥淲e are thrilled to extend our local successes with I-Corps to the greater Midsouth and help underrepresented innovators bring their ideas to life.鈥�
As the lead institution for the Mid-South I-Corp Hub, Vanderbilt will receive up to $15 million from NSF over five years to fund participant microgrants, engage consultants with I-Corps experience, train I-Corps instructors, lead National I-Corps cohorts, publish materials resulting from hub work and create positions to support programming and outputs. The effort received broad bipartisan support from federal legislators, including Tennessee’s U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, and U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper, Tim Burchett and Chuck Fleischmann.
In the near future, Vanderbilt plans to host a summit with the eight other Midsouth hub universities to build the five-year vision for the hub鈥檚 inclusive innovation corridor. They are George Mason University, University of Tennessee鈥揔noxville, University of Kentucky, Jackson State University, Tennessee State University, Meharry Medical College, University of Louisville and University of Virginia.听
鈥淭he National Science Foundation鈥檚 I-Corps Hub approach to innovation mirrors our own,鈥� Provost C. Cybele Raver said. 鈥淚n keeping with NSF鈥檚 aims, Vanderbilt drives discovery, harnessing big ideas in ways that dramatically increase their economic and social impact. Ours is a deeply collaborative and inclusive community, where we work together on pathbreaking innovations that address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. We are honored and excited to serve in this leadership capacity and work even more closely with our fellow hub universities.鈥�
鈥淭he spirit of collaborative innovation that defines our Vanderbilt community is key to our success,鈥� said , vice provost for research and innovation. 鈥淭his recognition as an NSF I-Corps Hub highlights the commitment of the Wond鈥檙y team and our institutional partners to advance the development of an inclusive innovation corridor.鈥�听
The grant proposal was supported by听听(RDS), which offers proposal development assistance for both private (foundations) and federally funded opportunities.听RDS is in the听.
About the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program听
Established in 2011, the is designed to support the commercialization of deep technologies, which grow from discoveries in fundamental science and engineering. Since its inception, more than 1,900 NSF I-Corps teams have participated in the program.鈥疶his year鈥檚 five newly funded I-Corps Hubs will join the five hubs funded last year to serve national needs through the following areas of responsibility:听
- Create and implement tools, resources and training activities that enhance the nation’s innovation capacity听
- Identify, develop and support promising research that can generate economic value听
- Gather, analyze, evaluate and utilize the data and insights resulting from the experiences of those participating in local, regional and national I-Corps programs听
- Provide opportunities to diverse communities of innovators听
- Share and leverage effective innovation practices on a national scale to improve quality of life throughout the nation听
