This week's joint meeting of the Lab-to-Market and Entrepreneurship Development subcommunities of SSTI's TBED Community of Practice focused on how the NSF I-Corps and DOE Energy I-Corps programs help researchers move discoveries beyond the lab and toward real-world use. A central theme was the importance of engaging potential customers early, testing market assumptions, and confirming the existence of a real need before investing significant resources in technology development.
Jared Hineman of the Great Plains I-Corps Hub opened with an overview of the NSF I-Corps program and how it helps researchers identify potential customers, assess demand, and explore how their technologies might create value outside the laboratory. He explained that I-Corps addresses a common challenge in commercialization: developing a technology before determining whether a market exists for it. Through structured interviews and entrepreneurial training, participants learn how to connect their research with real-world needs.
Chad Ulven, also with the Great Plains I-Corps Hub, discussed the growing connection between I-Corps and federal innovation funding programs such as SBIR and STTR. He noted that experience engaging prospective customers is increasingly viewed as evidence that a team is prepared to pursue commercialization. Ulven encouraged applicants to explain how customer feedback has influenced both technology development and business strategy, helping demonstrate a clear understanding of the problem being addressed and the market opportunity.
Paul Carlisle of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory described how DOE's Energy I-Corps program applies similar principles within the national laboratory system. He emphasized that researchers should begin considering market needs well before a technology is ready for launch. Carlisle also highlighted PNNL's efforts to strengthen regional innovation networks by connecting researchers with entrepreneurs, investors, universities, and economic development organizations. These relationships, he said, can improve commercialization outcomes while building stronger regional innovation capacity.
Ranjeet John of the University of South Dakota shared his experience participating in I-Corps while developing EarthMaze, a venture focused on climate-smart agriculture. He explained that interviews with potential users helped his team narrow its target market and refine its commercialization strategy. The experience reinforced the value of engaging stakeholders early and incorporating market feedback into technology development.
Together, the presentations reinforced a clear takeaway: successful commercialization depends as much on understanding customers as it does on advancing the technology itself. Researchers are encouraged to talk with potential users early, validate market opportunities, and build relationships within regional innovation networks before pursuing federal funding and broader market opportunities.