Bipartisan Bill from Coons, Fischer Would Help America's Scientists and Engineers Start New Businesses
Press Release
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today introduced the American Innovators and Entrepreneurs Act to expand and improve the National Science Foundation's (NSF) highly successful Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program that trains scientists and engineers with the skills needed to start new businesses and create new jobs.
I-Corps connects scientists and engineers with the technological, entrepreneurial, and business communities necessary to move discoveries from the laboratory to the market. This bill builds on NSF's recent success with I-Corps to help create regional networks for innovation by providing researchers, students, and universities with the training and resources they need to develop products and services that benefit the economy and society.
"The U.S. has the best scientists and engineers in the world, but they often lack the business skills necessary to turn their great ideas into new products and start-up businesses," said Senator Coons. "I'm proud to introduce this commonsense bipartisan bill that helps our innovative and entrepreneurial scientists and engineers bridge the difficult divide between laboratory and market."
"Nebraska is filled with scientists and engineers who have big ideas that could change the world," said Senator Fischer. "I'm proud to join Senator Coons to introduce bipartisan legislation that would help American innovators build businesses and market their products in the U.S. and internationally. Working together, we are offering a solution that will grow jobs and strengthen our economy."
The American Innovators and Entrepreneurs Act would:
Explicitly authorize the NSF I-Corps program through 2020.
Expand opportunities for I-Corps training to all Federal researchers and agencies.
Encourage partnerships between I-Corps and the highly successful SBIR/STTR programs.
Provide steady increases in I-Corps funding over the next four years.
Require NSF to submit biennial reports on I-Corps' effectiveness to Congress.
The bill has been endorsed by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; University of Delaware; University City Science Center; Delaware Biotechnology Institute; The Delaware Small Business Development Center; and The University of Delaware Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships.
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