IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 539 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

AN ACT 

To require the Director of the National Science Foundation 

to develop an I-Corps course to support commercialization-ready innovation companies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Innovators to Entre3 preneurs Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The National Science Foundation Innova7 tion Corps Program (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘I8 Corps’’), created administratively by the Foundation 

9 in 2011 and statutorily authorized in the American 

10 Innovation and Competitiveness Act, has succeeded 

11 in increasing the commercialization of Government12 funded research. 

13 (2) I-Corps provides valuable entrepreneurial 

14 education to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, 

15 and other researchers, providing formal training for 

16 scientists and engineers to pursue careers in busi17 ness, an increasingly common path for advanced de18 gree holders. 

19 (3) The I-Corps Teams program is successful in 

20 part due to its focus on providing the specific types 

21 of education and mentoring entrepreneurs need 

22 based on the early stage of their companies, however 

23 the program does not provide similar support to 

24 them at later stages. 

25 (4) The success of I-Corps in the very early 

26 stages of the innovation continuum should be exVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H539.RFS H539

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1 panded upon by offering additional entrepreneurship 

2 training to small businesses as they advance toward 

3 commercialization. 

4 (5) The excellent training made available to 

5 grantees of participating agencies through the I6 Corps Program should be made available to all Fed7 eral grantees as well as other businesses willing to 

8 pay the cost of attending such training. 

9 (6) The success of the I-Corps Program at pro10 moting entrepreneurship within research institutions 

11 and encouraging research commercialization has 

12 been due in part to the National Science Founda13 tion’s efforts to date on building a national network 

14 of science entrepreneurs, including convening stake15 holders, promoting national I-Corps courses, cata16 loguing best practices and encourage sharing be17 tween sites and institutions, and developing a men18 tor network. 

19 (7) As the I-Corps Program continues to grow 

20 and expand, the National Science Foundation should 

21 maintain its focus on networking and information 

22 sharing to ensure that innovators across the country 

23 can learn from their peers and remain competitive. 


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1 SEC. 3. EXPANDED PARTICIPATION IN I-CORPS. 

2 Section 601(c)(2) of the American Innovation and 

3 Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)(2)) is amend4 ed by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS.— 

6 ‘‘(i) ELIGIBILITY.—The Director, in 

7 consultation with relevant stakeholders, as 

8 determined by the Director, which may in9 clude Federal agencies, I-Corps regional 

10 nodes, universities, and public and private 

11 entities engaged in technology transfer or 

12 commercialization of technologies, shall 

13 provide an option for participation in an I14 Corps Teams course by— 

15 ‘‘(I) Small Business Innovation 

16 Research Program grantees; and 

17 ‘‘(II) other entities, as deter18 mined appropriate by the Director. 

19 ‘‘(ii) COST OF PARTICIPATION.—The 

20 cost of participation by a Small Business 

21 Innovation Research Program grantee in 

22 such course may be provided— 

23 ‘‘(I) through I-Corps Teams 

24 grants; 

25 ‘‘(II) through funds awarded to 

26 grantees under the Small Business InVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H539.RFS H539

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1 novation Research Program or the 

2 Small Business Technology Transfer 

3 Program; 

4 ‘‘(III) by the grantor Federal 

5 agency of the grantee using funds set 

6 aside for the Small Business Innova7 tion Research Program under section 

8 9(f)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 

9 U.S.C. 638(f)(1)); 

10 ‘‘(IV) by the grantor Federal 

11 agency of the grantee using funds set 

12 aside for the Small Business Tech13 nology Transfer Program under sec14 tion 9(n)(1) of the Small Business 

15 Act (15 U.S.C. 638(n)(1)); or 

16 ‘‘(V) by the participating 

17 teams.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. I-CORPS COURSE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION-READY 

19 PARTICIPANTS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the I-Corps pro21 gram described in section 601(c) of the American Innova22 tion and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)), the 

23 Director shall develop an I-Corps course offered by I24 Corps regional nodes to support commercialization-ready 

25 participants. Such course shall include skills such as atVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Feb 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H539.RFS H539

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1 tracting investors, scaling up a company, and building a 

2 brand. 

3 (b) ENGAGEMENT WITH RELEVANT STAKE4 HOLDERS.—In developing the course under subsection (a), 

5 the Director may consult with the heads of such Federal 

6 agencies, universities, and public and private entities as 

7 the Director determines to be appropriate. 

8 (c) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—The course developed 

9 under subsection (a) shall— 

10 (1) support participants that have completed an 

11 I-Corps Teams course; 

12 (2) support participants that have made the de13 cision to take an innovation to market. 

14 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

15 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

16 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

17 shall submit to Congress a report containing an evaluation 

18 of the I-Corps program described in section 601(c) of the 

19 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 1862s–8(c)). Such evaluation shall include an assessment 

21 of the effects of I-Corps on— 

22 (1) the commercialization of Federally funded 

23 research and development; 

24 (2) the higher education system; and 


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1 (3) regional economies and the national econ2 omy. 

3 SEC. 6. FUNDING. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Out of amounts otherwise author5 ized for the National Science Foundation, there is author6 ized to be appropriated a total of $5,000,000 for fiscal 

7 years 2020 and 2021 to carry out the activities described 

8 in section 4 and the amendment made by section 3. 

9 (b) LIMITATION.—No additional funds are authorized 

10 to be appropriated to carry out this Act and the amend11 ments made by this Act, and this Act and such amend12 ments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise avail13 able for such purpose. 

Passed the House of Representatives February 25, 

2019. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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