I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 539 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 14, 2019 

Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself, Mr. WEBSTER of Florida, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, 

and Mr. LUCAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 

Committee on Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Innovators to Entre5 preneurs Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The National Science Foundation Innova2 tion Corps Program (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘I3 Corps’’), created administratively by the Foundation 

4 in 2011 and statutorily authorized in the American 

5 Innovation and Competitiveness Act, has succeeded 

6 in increasing the commercialization of Government7 funded research. 

8 (2) I-Corps provides valuable entrepreneurial 

9 education to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, 

10 and other researchers, providing formal training for 

11 scientists and engineers to pursue careers in busi12 ness, an increasingly common path for advanced de13 gree holders. 

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

15 part due to its focus on providing the specific types 

16 of education and mentoring entrepreneurs need 

17 based on the early stage of their companies, however 

18 the program does not provide similar support to 

19 them at later stages. 

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

21 stages of the innovation continuum should be ex22 panded upon by offering additional entrepreneurship 

23 training to small businesses as they advance toward 

24 commercialization. 


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1 (5) The excellent training made available to 

2 grantees of participating agencies through the I3 Corps Program should be made available to all Fed4 eral grantees as well as other businesses willing to 

5 pay the cost of attending such training. 

6 (6) The success of the I-Corps Program at pro7 moting entrepreneurship within research institutions 

8 and encouraging research commercialization has 

9 been due in part to the National Science Founda10 tion’s efforts to date on building a national network 

11 of science entrepreneurs, including convening stake12 holders, promoting national I-Corps courses, cata13 loguing best practices and encourage sharing be14 tween sites and institutions, and developing a men15 tor network. 

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

17 and expand, the National Science Foundation should 

18 maintain its focus on networking and information 

19 sharing to ensure that innovators across the country 

20 can learn from their peers and remain competitive. 

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

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

23 Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)(2)) is amend24 ed by adding at the end the following: 

25 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS.— 


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

2 consultation with relevant stakeholders, as 

3 determined by the Director, which may in4 clude Federal agencies, I-Corps regional 

5 nodes, universities, and public and private 

6 entities engaged in technology transfer or 

7 commercialization of technologies, shall 

8 provide an option for participation in an I9 Corps Teams course by— 

10 ‘‘(I) Small Business Innovation 

11 Research Program grantees; and 

12 ‘‘(II) other entities, as deter13 mined appropriate by the Director. 

14 ‘‘(ii) COST OF PARTICIPATION.—The 

15 cost of participation by a Small Business 

16 Innovation Research Program grantee in 

17 such course may be provided— 

18 ‘‘(I) through I-Corps Teams 

19 grants; 

20 ‘‘(II) through funds awarded to 

21 grantees under the Small Business In22 novation Research Program or the 

23 Small Business Technology Transfer 

24 Program; 


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1 ‘‘(III) by the grantor Federal 

2 agency of the grantee using funds set 

3 aside for the Small Business Innova4 tion Research Program under section 

5 9(f)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 

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

7 ‘‘(IV) by the grantor Federal 

8 agency of the grantee using funds set 

9 aside for the Small Business Tech10 nology Transfer Program under sec11 tion 9(n)(1) of the Small Business 

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

13 ‘‘(V) by the participating 

14 teams.’’. 

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

16 PARTICIPANTS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the I-Corps pro18 gram described in section 601(c) of the American Innova19 tion and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)), the 

20 Director shall develop an I-Corps course offered by I21 Corps regional nodes to support commercialization-ready 

22 participants. Such course shall include skills such as at23 tracting investors, scaling up a company, and building a 

24 brand. 


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1 (b) ENGAGEMENT WITH RELEVANT STAKE2 HOLDERS.—In developing the course under subsection (a), 

3 the Director may consult with the heads of such Federal 

4 agencies, universities, and public and private entities as 

5 the Director determines to be appropriate. 

6 (c) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—The course developed 

7 under subsection (a) shall— 

8 (1) support participants that have completed an 

9 I-Corps Teams course; 

10 (2) support participants that have made the de11 cision to take an innovation to market. 

12 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

13 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

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

15 shall submit to Congress a report containing an evaluation 

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

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

18 1862s–8(c)). Such evaluation shall include an assessment 

19 of the effects of I-Corps on— 

20 (1) the commercialization of Federally funded 

21 research and development; 

22 (2) the higher education system; and 

23 (3) regional economies and the national econ24 omy. 


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1 SEC. 6. FUNDING. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Out of amounts otherwise author3 ized for the National Science Foundation, there is author4 ized to be appropriated a total of $5,000,000 for fiscal 

5 years 2020 and 2021 to carry out the activities described 

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

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

8 to be appropriated to carry out this Act and the amend9 ments made by this Act, and this Act and such amend10 ments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise avail11 able for such purpose. 

Æ 


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