NSF 21-552: NSF National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-Corps (TM) Teams) program
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2021.
U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 255 awards worth $12.8 million in total. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed February 2, 2026. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award floor$50,000
- Total funding$12.8 million
- Expected awards255
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Key dates
| Posted | January 15, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Archived by Grants.gov | February 3, 2026 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. *Who May Serve as PI: <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Multiple awards based on the same core technology generally will not be supported.</span>
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 10 programs behind this notice (83% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to further develop and nurture a national innovation ecosystem that guides the output of scientific discoveries closer to the development of technologies, products, and services that benefit society. The goals of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, created in 2011 by NSF,are tospur translation of fundamental research to the marketplace, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train NSF-funded faculty, students and other researchers in innovation and entrepreneurship skills. The I-Corps Program utilizes experiential learning of customer and industry discovery, coupled with first-hand investigation of industrial processes, to quickly assess the translational potential of inventions. The I-Corps Program is designed to support the commercialization of "deep technologies,” those revolving around fundamental discoveries in science and engineering. The I-Corps Program addresses the skill and knowledge gaps associated with the transformation of basic research into deep technology ventures (DTVs). The purpose of the I-Corps Teams program is to identify NSF-funded researchers to receive additional support in the form of entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and funding to accelerate the translation of knowledge derived from fundamental research into emerging products and services that may attract subsequent third-party funding. The outcomes of I-Corps Teams' projects are threefold: 1) a decision on a clear path forward based on an assessment of the business model, 2) substantial first-hand evidence for or against product-market fit, with the identification of customer segments and corresponding value propositions, and 3) a narrative of a technology demonstrationfor potential partners. WEBINAR: A webinar will be held monthly to answer questions about this program. Details will be posted on the I-Corps Teams website (seehttps://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/program.jsp) as they become available.
Who has won Mathematical and Physical Sciences grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049) awarded $8.5 billion across 14,898 grant awards, an average of $568,976 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. | Arizona | 22 | $725 million |
| Associated Universities Inc | Virginia | 18 | $646 million |
| California Institute of Technology | California | 148 | $316 million |
| Cornell University | New York | 179 | $256 million |
| Florida State University | Florida | 92 | $228 million |
Who has won STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) (47.076) awarded $6.7 billion across 7,210 grant awards, an average of $932,576 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of California | California | 47 | $137 million |
| The Leland Stanford Junior University | California | 16 | $123 million |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | 12 | $122 million |
| University of Wisconsin System | Wisconsin | 64 | $92.1 million |
| North Carolina State University | North Carolina | 79 | $91.2 million |
Who has won Geosciences grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Geosciences (47.050) awarded $5.4 billion across 7,605 grant awards, an average of $710,829 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Colorado | 78 | $725 million |
| Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | Massachusetts | 288 | $627 million |
| Texas a & M Research Foundation | Texas | 3 | $287 million |
| University of California San Diego | California | 170 | $223 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 160 | $193 million |
Other programs behind this notice
- Computer and Information Science and Engineering
- Engineering
- Biological Sciences
- Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
- Integrative Activities
- Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
- International Science and Engineering
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is NSF 21-552 still open?
No. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.
Who can apply for NSF National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-Corps (TM) Teams) program?
U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for NSF National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-Corps (TM) Teams) program?
Closed. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
About $12.8 million in total across about 255 awards.
Who has won Engineering grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Georgia Tech Research Corp, Purdue University, Regents of the University of Michigan. The program made 11,244 awards worth $4.3 billion in that time.