Proposed business technical ventures should be in either the idea, development, or startup stages and have a scalable impact. Startups can be in a wide variety of topics including (but not limited to) medical devices, mobile applications, software, physical products, internet of things, social startups, hardware, wearables, etc.

Accepted teams must commit to an initial training session, 10-12 Customer interviews. Failure to complete these elements of the program may be grounds for disqualification from the NSF I-Corps Site program and forfeiture and/or repayment of any grant awards associated with the program.

Selection Criteria

Participants will be selected on the basis of team, intellectual property/technology strength, and fit with the I-Corps Program mission.

Guidelines for Submissions

  • All additional application materials must be submitted via email to: the Office of New Venture Development after the submission of I-Corps application (for all schools).
  • Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Space is limited.
  • The I-Corps application will require the resume/CV of all team members. An executive summary should also be provided. Please email materials to: Hakim Hammach, Assoc. Director, New Venture Development & I-Corps manager.
  • Upon acceptance to the program, an itemized financial plan for the funds is required.
    • (All expenses must be either purchased through the UMass Lowell I-Corps Site program administrator or be reimbursed after personal purchase. All expenses must be approved by I-Corps Site program Administration prior to purchase.

Financial Details

Teams must spend their Grant Award within six months. Teams must determine the dates they plan to spend the Grant Award. This can be done using the itemized financial plan.

Types of acceptable expenses are:

  • Meetings and Conferences - Cost of admission as well as ancillary costs (i.e., transportation, meals, speaker’s fees, etc. (These must be meeting and conferences that are Industry and Commercial in nature. The specific conference must be pre-approved and cannot be substituted with another conference unless pre-approved.)
  • Conferences related to your product/service’s industry
  • Meetings hosted by the team for the purpose of customer discovery or market research
  • Transportation - Costs related to attaining face-to-face interviews or the delivery of goods (i.e., postage)
  • Travel Costs - Costs related to travel, accommodations, and meals while traveling

And with prior approval; AFTER completion of the required interviews:

  • Contractors - Contracted work is only approved so long as the proposed work is to be completed by a student of a participating College or University or a firm the meets RPI’s contractor guidelines
  • Materials and Supplies - Materials and supplies used to create a prototype (for product) or pilot program (for services)​

All expenses must be either purchased through the Mass I-Corps Site program administrator or be reimbursed after personal purchase. All expenses must be approved by I-Corps Site program Administration prior to purchase.

Required Forms & Module Training

  • UMass Lowell I-Corps Application (Please also email the team members CV and team executive summary to the Office of New Venture Development at the link below).
  • Financial Plan - Financial Plan on costs and use of funds
  • Customer Discovery Module Training is required for this award.

Please email Hakim Hammach at: NVD@uml.edu, with any questions regarding the I-Corp Program at UMass.