AKRON, OH — On June 11, the Deshpande Symposium honored the University of Akron Research Foundation’s I-Corps program with the Exemplary Practice in Technology Commercialization Award.
The Deshpande Symposium is an annual gathering of like-minded practitioners dedicated to accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship in the college and university settings of the United States and Canada.
Every year, the Symposium bestows three awards on university-affiliated entrepreneurship programs that demonstrate national best practices.
I-Corps was recognized for its strong commitment to developing programs that accelerate innovations from laboratory research to commercialization for both university and community inventors.
Raj Melville, executive director of the Deshpande Foundation, noted in a letter notifying the University of Akron Research Foundation of the award that UARF’s I-Corps site “best exemplified a strong commitment to building programs that accelerate innovations from the laboratory and research into commercialization across institutions”.
Through coaching and direct customer interactions, I-Corps aims to assist faculty, students, and the community answer important questions about their business, product, or technology idea.
More than 400 Northeast Ohio students, 200 university faculty members, 300 business mentors, and 100 community entrepreneurs have received intensive experiential education in what it takes to launch a business through UARF’s I-Corps Site.
Participants in the I-Corps Site have launched successful businesses in various industries, including software for water treatment facilities, next-generation adhesives, and hair and beauty products.
I-Corps has also had a significant impact beyond university campuses. “The University of Akron I-Corps Site program has catalyzed a significant acceleration in innovation to drive research and new ideas into commercialization realities, not only for the University, but also for the greater Akron community and all universities in Northeast Ohio,” says Heather Roszczyk, innovation and entrepreneurship advocate in the Mayor’s Office of Integrated Development at the City of Akron.
The next I-Corps Program is set to begin in the fall. The application deadline is Sunday, September 19, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.uakronuarf.com/i-corps.html