Technological Innovation and Technological Innovation and Competitiveness at the NSFCompetitiveness at the NSF

Franklin Carrero-Martínez, Franklin Carrero-Martínez, Ph.DPh.D..

International Science and EngineeringInternational Science and EngineeringNational Science FoundationNational Science Foundation

• To develop and nurture a national innovation ecosystem by helping discoveries from fundamental research to become new technologies that benefit society.

• Components of the National Innovation Network:• I-Corps Teams: offer the technical, entrepreneurial, and business know-how to

launch technological innovations; • I-Corps Nodes: provide the education and infrastructure to serve the teams

and regional innovation;• I-Corps Sites: spur small groups to explore technology transition with local

guidance and resources.

• NSF works with the private sector to bring additional resources to the table (in the form of partnerships and finance), when warranted

• I-Corps feed the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)Bridging the “Valley of Death”

Innovations Technology Development

BusinessDevelopment

Seed Funding

Revenue growth

Funding Criteria: High-risk, high-payback innovations with high commercialization potential

NSF SBIR

Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers(I/UCRC)

• Contribute to the national research infrastructure base by developing long-term partnerships among industry, academe and government

• Accelerate technology transfer from the lab to industry• Leverage NSF funds with industry to support graduate

students performing industrially relevant research• NSF encourages international collaborations that advance

these goals within the global context• By the Numbers:

– Currently supports 75 centers– 250+ universities/colleges– 1000+ unique industrial and government memberships

Muchas Gracias!Muchas Gracias!

Franklin Carrero-Martínez, Franklin Carrero-Martínez, Ph.DPh.D..

fcarrero@nsf.govfcarrero@nsf.gov