II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 118 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 15, 2019 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

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: 

8 (1) The National Science Foundation Innova9 tion Corps Program (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘IVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:17 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S118.IS S118

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1 Corps’’), created administratively by the Foundation 

2 in 2011 and statutorily authorized in the American 

3 Innovation and Competitiveness Act, has succeeded 

4 in increasing the commercialization of Government5 funded research. 

6 (2) I-Corps provides valuable entrepreneurial 

7 education to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, 

8 and other researchers, providing formal training for 

9 scientists and engineers to pursue careers in busi10 ness, an increasingly common path for advanced de11 gree holders. 

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

13 part due to its focus on providing the specific types 

14 of education and mentoring entrepreneurs need 

15 based on the early stage of their companies, however 

16 the program does not provide similar support to 

17 them at later stages. 

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

19 stages of the innovation continuum should be ex20 panded upon by offering additional entrepreneurship 

21 training to small businesses as they advance toward 

22 commercialization. 

23 (5) The excellent training made available to 

24 grantees of participating agencies through the I25 Corps Program should be made available to all FedVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:17 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S118.IS S118

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1 eral grantees as well as other businesses willing to 

2 pay the cost of attending such training. 

3 (6) The success of the I-Corps Program at pro4 moting entrepreneurship within research institutions 

5 and encouraging research commercialization has 

6 been due in part to the National Science Founda7 tion’s efforts to date on building a national network 

8 of science entrepreneurs, including convening stake9 holders, promoting national I-Corps courses, cata10 loguing best practices and encourage sharing be11 tween sites and institutions, and developing a men12 tor network. 

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

14 and expand, the National Science Foundation should 

15 maintain its focus on networking and information 

16 sharing to ensure that innovators across the country 

17 can learn from their peers and remain competitive. 

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

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

20 Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)(2)) is amend21 ed by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS.— 

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

24 consultation with relevant stakeholders, as 

25 determined by the Director, which may inVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:17 Jan 23, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S118.IS S118

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1 clude Federal agencies, I-Corps regional 

2 nodes, universities, and public and private 

3 entities engaged in technology transfer or 

4 commercialization of technologies, shall 

5 provide an option for participation in an I6 Corps Teams course by— 

7 ‘‘(I) Small Business Innovation 

8 Research Program grantees; and 

9 ‘‘(II) other entities, as deter10 mined appropriate by the Director. 

11 ‘‘(ii) COST OF PARTICIPATION.—The 

12 cost of participation by a Small Business 

13 Innovation Research Program grantee in 

14 such course may be provided— 

15 ‘‘(I) through I-Corps Teams 

16 grants; 

17 ‘‘(II) through funds awarded to 

18 grantees under the Small Business In19 novation Research Program or the 

20 Small Business Technology Transfer 

21 Program; 

22 ‘‘(III) by the grantor Federal 

23 agency of the grantee using funds set 

24 aside for the Small Business Innova25 tion Research Program under section 


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

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

3 ‘‘(IV) by the grantor Federal 

4 agency of the grantee using funds set 

5 aside for the Small Business Tech6 nology Transfer Program under sec7 tion 9(n)(1) of the Small Business 

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

9 ‘‘(V) by the participating 

10 teams.’’. 

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

12 PARTICIPANTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the I-Corps pro14 gram described in section 601(c) of the American Innova15 tion and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–8(c)), the 

16 Director shall develop an I-Corps course offered by I17 Corps regional nodes to support commercialization-ready 

18 participants. Such course shall include skills such as at19 tracting investors, scaling up a company, and building a 

20 brand. 

21 (b) ENGAGEMENT WITH RELEVANT STAKE22 HOLDERS.—In developing the course under subsection (a), 

23 the Director may consult with the heads of such Federal 

24 agencies, universities, and public and private entities as 

25 the Director determines to be appropriate. 


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1 (c) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—The course developed 

2 under subsection (a) shall— 

3 (1) support participants that have completed an 

4 I-Corps Teams course; and 

5 (2) support participants that have made the de6 cision to take an innovation to market. 

7 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

8 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

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

10 shall submit to Congress a report containing an evaluation 

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

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

13 1862s–8(c)). Such evaluation shall include an assessment 

14 of the effects of I-Corps on— 

15 (1) the commercialization of Federally funded 

16 research and development; 

17 (2) the higher education system; and 

18 (3) regional economies and the national econ19 omy. 

20 SEC. 6. FUNDING. 

21 (a) FISCAL YEARS 2020 AND 2021.—Out of amounts 

22 otherwise authorized for the National Science Foundation, 

23 there is authorized to be appropriated a total of 

24 $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to carry out 


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1 the activities described in section 4 and the amendment 

2 made by section 3. 

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

4 to be appropriated to carry out this Act and the amend5 ments made by this Act, and this Act and such amend6 ments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise avail7 able for such purpose. 

Æ 


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