Newswise — Chicago (July 9, 2014) – The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and its Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation are pleased to announce a three-year, $297,000 I-Corps Site grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support prototyping and proof-of-concept for promising early-stage ideas.

This grant promotes best practices and cutting-edge methods for entrepreneurship, such as conducting research and gaining customer feedback. Awarded to University of Chicago students, researchers, and faculty on a rolling basis in increments of $1,000 to $3,000, the funding will advance promising ideas and contribute to the University’s innovation network.

"The I-Corps Site grant is a welcome addition as we expand Polsky Center activities across campus and, increasingly, across the region's innovation network," said Ellen Rudnick, Director of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Through the I-Corps Site program, the NSF has assumed a more active role in the commercialization of new technologies, products, and processes from the nation's academic institutions. "Polsky has partnered with the Chicago Innovation Exchange, the 1871 tech incubator, Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois, and Hyde Park Angels. We seek to provide end-to-end resources that support the commercialization of proprietary technologies and innovative product ideas," Rudnick said.

With a growing roster of alumni, faculty, and student companies, the Polsky Center has become an entrepreneurial engine for the Midwest — and for the nation. This grant recognizes the Polsky Center's success in helping entrepreneurs transition technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace.

Additional details, rules, and an application for funding will soon be available on the Polsky Center website. Sign up here to receive notifications about the Polsky Center NSF I-Corps Site grant program, including application information.