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Looking for early-stage commercialization funding? Join a discussion by federal agency experts on their small business research commercialization funding programs, SBIR and STTR. During the program, the experts will review:
- General information on their agencies (NSF, NIH, and NCI) and how they work in the commercialization process
- General information on the commercialization-focused programs of their respective agencies
- The differences between SBIRs and STTRs
- Eligibility
- Phases
- How the applications are reviewed
- Funding mechanisms
- The CARE and TABA programs
- Recommendations for successful grants

Are you a STEM researcher interested in making an impact with your technology innovation? The National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program can provide you with professional training, mentoring and up to $50,000 in funding for customer discovery.
Hosted by the Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps), the virtual NSF I-Corps Information Session is designed for busy graduate students, postdocs and faculty interested in learning more about I-Corps regional and national programming. NSF I-Corps instructors and alumni will be in attendance to share their experience and answer questions.
The NSF created I-Corps (Innovation Corps) to bridge the gap between fundamental research discoveries in science and engineering and the commercialization of technologies, products and processes with the potential to benefit society.
Register here.

The application process is now open for the Enterprise Innovation Catalyst Fund Proto Stage Awards and the Validation Stage Pre-proposals.
Proto Stage Award will fund device and digital health projects and other early-stage projects on a rolling basis to validate preliminary proof-of-concept ideas and expedite the development of prototypes for commercial advancement. The Proto Stage award can provide funding up to $50,000 and projects must be completed within 12-months.
- Validation Stage Award, incorporating the Selma and Lawrence Ruben Validation Stage Awards, will benefit projects that have already demonstrated preliminary proof of concept, identified unmet need in the market and developed a plan for commercialization. This award will serve as a reimagining of the Daedalus Fund for Innovation, which was established in 2014 to support early-stage applied and translational research projects that have clear, near-term commercial potential. The Validation Stage awards can provide funding up to $200,000 for projects that can be completed in 12-24 months. There are two stages to the application process, short pre-proposals which will be reviewed and selected projects invited to submit a more detailed full proposal. The deadline for submitting
pre-proposals is August 1, 2025.
All projects must have a related invention disclosure submitted to the Center for Technology Licensing (CTL).
Full details of the awards and the application process can be found here. If you have any questions, please send an email to: ei-catalystfund@cornell.edu.

Ready to secure non-dilutive funding to take your startup to the next level?
Join Kirk Macolini, President of InteliSpark, LLC, for this virtual workshop providing insights into the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) application process. During the workshop, Macolini will discuss and answer questions regarding writing and submitting a successful SBIR/STTR proposal and identifying strategies for making your SBIR/STTR proposal more competitive.
Upon registering, participants will receive access to the SBIR/STTR video series, a set of short videos containing valuable background information, which they are encouraged to view prior to the workshop. The pre-workshop video series covers:
- An overview of the SBIR/STTR programs
- Program eligibility requirements
- Differences between SBIR and STTR agencies
- Using SBIR/STTR to enhance your company's value

Led by the NSF I-Corps Hub: Interior Northeast (IN I-Corps), these free NSF I-Corps Regional Courses are designed for university-based STEM researchers and early-stage founders interested in evaluating the market potential of their technology and learning valuable entrepreneurial skills.
In this month-long virtual course (August 29 - October 3), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit.
You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.
Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu or visit https://www.in-icorps.org/regional-courses/.
Led by the NSF I-Corps Hub: Interior Northeast (IN I-Corps), these free NSF I-Corps Regional Courses are designed for university-based STEM researchers and early-stage founders interested in evaluating the market potential of their technology and learning valuable entrepreneurial skills.
In this month-long virtual course (September 22 - October 22), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit. You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.
Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu or visit www.in-icorps.org/regional-courses.
Led by the NSF I-Corps Hub: Interior Northeast (IN I-Corps), these free NSF I-Corps Regional Courses are designed for university-based STEM researchers and early-stage founders interested in evaluating the market potential of their technology and learning valuable entrepreneurial skills.
In this month-long virtual course (October 13 - November 14), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit.
You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.
Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu or visit www.in-icorps.org/regional-courses.
Led by the NSF I-Corps Hub: Interior Northeast (IN I-Corps), these free NSF I-Corps Regional Courses are designed for university-based STEM researchers and early-stage founders interested in evaluating the market potential of their technology and learning valuable entrepreneurial skills.
In this month-long virtual course (November 12 - December 15), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit.
You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.
Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu or visit www.in-icorps.org/regional-courses.