1. Summary of IIP (and selected “Center”) Programs

2. NSF Established in 1950
Mission: From the NSF Act of : “…To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense….”
Vision: “A nation that creates and exploits new concepts in science and engineering and provides global leadership in research and education.”
Talk first a little bit about NSF and how AIR is linked to the NSF mission, then more information on each of the two AIR sub-programs, Technology Translation and Research Alliance.
Vision 2014-present in current strategic plan 5 year plan updated every 3 years.
“To Advance national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure the national defense…”, the idea that basic science and research will lead to technological results to advance the nation and keep us secure.
“Exploits new concepts in science and engineering…”– innovation
“Discoveries made possible through NSF-supported fundamental S&E research are key to sustaining the health of the Nation’s Innovation Ecosystem…”

3. National Science Foundation?
NSF is primarily focused on funding basic research in science and engineering
Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, within the Engineering Directorate, is responsible for the agency’s SBIR/STTR program, along with other commercialization and innovation efforts. $B FY

4. National Science Foundation
Director
Dr. France Cordova
Directorate for
Engineering
Directorate for Computer and Information
Science and
Geosciences
Education and
Human
Resources
Mathematical
and Physical
Sciences
Social,
Behavioral,
and Economic
National Science Board
Office of the
Inspector General
Deputy Director
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Office of International & Integrative Activities
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Legislative and Public Affairs
Biological
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management
Office of Information & Resource Management
01/06/2014

5. Directorate of Engineering
Assistant Director for ENG
Pramod Khargonekar
Deputy Assistant Director
Grace Wang
Emerging Frontiers in
Research and Innovation
(EFRI)
Sohi Rastegar
Senior Advisor for
Nanotechnology
Mihail Roco
Engineering
Education and
Centers
(EEC)
Donald
Millard (acting)
Chemical,
Bioengineering,
Environmental,
and Transport
Systems
(CBET)
JoAnn Lighty
Civil,
Mechanical, and
Manufacturing
Innovation
(CMMI)
Deborah Goodings
Electrical,
Communications,
and Cyber
Systems
(ECCS)
Samir El-Ghazaly
Industrial
Innovation and
Partnerships
(IIP)
Barry Johnson

6. Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships(IIP)
Division Director
Barry Johnson
SBIR/STTR Program
Joe Hennessey
Senior Advisor
Donald Senich
Advanced Material & Instrumentation (MI)
Ben Schrag
Electronic Hardware, Robotics and Wireless Technologies (EW) Murali Nair
Academic Cluster Lead &
Program Director for I-Corps
Rathindra (Babu) DasGupta
Advanced Material & Nanotechnology (MN)
Rajesh Mehta
Information and Communication Technologies (IC)
Peter Atherton
Grant Opportunities for
Academic Liaison
with Industry (GOALI)
Donald Senich
Biological Technologies (BC)
Ruth Shuman
Semiconductors (S) & Photonic (PH) Devices and Materials
Steven Konsek
Industry/University
Cooperative Research
Centers (I/UCRC)
Rafaella Montelli
Chemical and Environmental Technologies (CT)
Prakash Balan
Smart Health (SH) and Biomedical (BM) Technologies
Jesus Soriano
FY15 request
Education Applications
and Technologies(EA)
Glenn Larsen
Partnerships for Innovation:
Accelerating Innovation
Research (PFI-AIR)
Barbara Kenny
Partnerships for Innovation:
Building Innovation Capacity
(PFI-BIC) Sara Nerlove

7. IIP FY16 Budget Request Total IIP FY16 Budget Request $248M
Total FY16 NSF Research & Related Activities Budget Request: $6.2B
Total IIP FY16 Budget Request $248M
SBIR/STTR Program $194M
Academic Programs $54M
Note: I-Corps and I/UCRC Programs receive additional funding from other Directorates

8. NSF Investments Private funds Public funds Resources Invested
STC
ERC
I/UCRC
SBIR/STTR
GOALI
PFI:BIC
PFI:AIR-TT
PFI:AIR-RA
I-Corps
NSF overall
ENG overall
Private funds
Public funds
Translational Research
This is the chart that corresponds to the following set that describes several programs, mostly within IIP, but also includes STC and ERC center programs. The following charts I put in chronological order of how the programs developed, more or less.
Valley of Death 8

9. Centers 1973: Industry/University Cooperative Research Ctrs
I/UCRC
ERC
STC
1973: Industry/University Cooperative Research Ctrs
1985: Engineering Research Centers
1987: Science and Technology Centers
Resources Invested
I/UCRCs are partnerships between universities and industrial members that leverage a small NSF investment to encourage collaborative, pre-competitive research driven by industry
ERCs are focused on engineered systems that integrate fundamental research, technology development and education in partnership with industrial members
STCs address complex research problems with interdisciplinary approaches, partnerships, and knowledge transfer to stakeholders
Center’s programs address a complex research problem with interdisciplinary approaches. In addition to the three center programs mentioned here, there are another five center programs at NSF, some of which are more closely related to basic research, others have technology components (eg NSEC programs). The three center programs mentioned here have partnerships with industry. About 5% of NSF overall budget spent on centers
STC– -- The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports innovative, potentially transformative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and/or other public/private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake significant investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or fresh approaches within disciplines. STCs may involve any areas of science and engineering that NSF supports. STC investments support the NSF vision of advancing discovery, innovation and education beyond the frontiers of current knowledge, and empowering future generations in science and engineering. Centers provide a rich environment for encouraging future scientists, engineers, and educators to take risks in pursuing discoveries and new knowledge. STCs foster excellence in education by integrating education and research, and by creating bonds between learning and inquiry so that discovery and creativity fully support the learning process. NSF expects STCs to demonstrate leadership in the involvement of groups traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering at all levels (faculty, students, and postdoctoral researchers) within the Center.  Centers use either proven or innovative mechanisms to address issues such as recruitment, retention and mentorship of participants from underrepresented groups. Centers must undertake activities that facilitate knowledge transfer, i.e., the exchange of scientific and technical information with the objective of disseminating and utilizing knowledge broadly in multiple sectors.  Examples of knowledge transfer include technology transfer with the intention of supporting innovation, providing key information to public policy makers, or dissemination of knowledge from one field of science to another.
From FY14 budget request: The Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships (STC) program advances interdisciplinary discovery and innovation in science and engineering through the integration of cutting-edge research, excellence in education, targeted knowledge transfer, and the development of a diverse workforce.
ERC— The goal of the Generation Three (Gen-3) Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program is to create a culture in engineering research and education that integrates discovery with technological innovation to advance technology and produce graduates who will be creative U.S. innovators in a globally competitive economy. These ERCs are at the forefront as the U.S. competes in the 21st century global economy where R&D resources and engineering talent are internationally distributed. Recognizing that optimizing efficiency and product quality are no longer sufficient for U.S. industry to remain competitive, these ERCs integrate transformational academic engineering research and education to stimulate increased U.S. innovation in a global context. The ERC is motivated by an engineered systems vision and structured by a strategic plan that defines a research program to address barriers in the way of realizing the vision. The strategic research plan structures an integrated program of fundamental and applied research that feeds into proof-of-concept enabling and systems technology test beds. The ERC education program is comprised of a university program and a pre-college program. The university education mission of an ERC is to prepare students for effective practice in industry and to enhance their capacity for creative and innovative leadership throughout their careers. The pre-college education mission rests on long-term partnerships with K-12 institutions to expose teachers to engineering and deliver engineering concepts and experiences to their classrooms to stimulate student interest in engineering careers. The interface of the research and the educational culture of the ERC enriches the participating universities through the transfer of ERC-generated knowledge into engineering curricula. Surrounding this research and education culture is the ERC's innovation ecosystem, which is important for translating center advancements into actual adoption or use for U.S. competitive advantage. The innovation ecosystem of Gen-3 ERCs is achieved through a symbiotic relationship between the center researchers, industrial and practitioner members, and partner organizations devoted to stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation. The ERC research and education culture, together with its innovation ecosystem, are developed by a team of faculty, students of all levels, and staff who share the ERC's vision. They come from different disciplines and perspectives on research, education, and technological innovation, and they include the rich perspectives offered by diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, and other demographics.
I/UCRC: The Industry–University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) program began as part of the Experimental R&D Incentives Program (ERDIP) initiated by NSF during the early 1970s. The ERDIP was a time-limited, experimental program to test the viability of different R&D initiatives. It included four public sector-oriented components: the Cooperative Research and Development Experiment (which evolved into the IUCRC program), the Laboratory Validation Assistance Experiment, the Innovation Centers Experiment, and the Medical Instrumentation Experiment (Colton, 1982). These four programs were supposed to increase non-federal investment in R&D and increase the rate of adoption of the results of science and technology in the private sector. The IUCRC program was initiated in 1973 to develop long-term partnerships among industry, academe and government. Alex Schwartzkopf, the founding program director, has nurtured and grown the IUCRC program into a strong academic–industry partnership network. NSF invests in these partnerships to promote research programs of mutual interest, contribute to the nation’s research infrastructure base, and enhance the intellectual capacity of the engineering workforce through the integration of research and education. Each center is catalyzed by a small investment from NSF and then primarily supported by center industry members, with NSF then taking a supporting role in their development and evolution. The centers are encouraged to have a multi-institutional base. This program initially offers five-year awards to centers, allowing time for development of a strong partnership between the academic researchers and their industrial and government members. After five years, centers that continue to meet program requirements may apply for a second five-year award. This is repeated for a third five-year award with decreasing NSF investments. These awards allow centers to continue to grow and diversify their non-NSF membership. After 15 years, the centers are expected to be fully supported by partners from industry, other Federal agencies, and state and local governments. The IUCRC program was located in the ENG Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) prior to the formation of IIP.
~60 Centers now 9

10. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
Center for Advanced Forestry Systems (CAFS) “optimizes genetic and cultural systems to produce high-quality raw forest materials for new and existing products by conducting collaborative research that transcends traditional species, regional, and disciplinary boundaries.”
Water and Environmental Technology (WET) “develops technologies and methods to detect, understand, mitigate and/or control emerging contaminants (ECs) as well as other traditional contaminants in the environment that can adversely impact water quality and the environment.” Similarly, Water Equipment and Policy (WEP)
Mechanisms for Interacting
Helping a university identify a center that would be valuable to join or start
Helping existing centers at your universities recruit industry members
Finding ways for center students to speak with / communicate with your audiences 10

11. GOALI Trial program 1993 Established in ENG 1994
Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaisons with Industry
GOALI
I/UCRC
SBIR/STTR
GOALI
ERC
STC
Trial program 1993
Established in ENG 1994
Available to all NSF 1996
Resources Invested
Eclectic mix of university-industry linkages
University faculty and/or students perform research in industrial setting
Industry researcher/engineers in university setting
Interdisciplinary university-industry teams to conduct research projects
From solicitation:
GOALI supports an eclectic mix of industry-university linkages. Examples include:
Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students to conduct research and gain experience in an industrial
setting;
Industrial scientists and engineers to bring industry's perspective and integrative skills to academe; and
Interdisciplinary university-industry teams to conduct research projects.
A major objective in the NSF strategy is to improve the nation's capacity for intellectual and economic growth by increasing the number partnerships and collaborations between industry and academe. Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) is an NSF cross-directorate program that meets this NSF strategic objective by connecting universities and industry for their mutual benefit. Industry outlines new technical challenges and assists in the support of academic institutions. By serving as a catalyst for industry–university partnerships, NSF helps ensure that intellectual capital and emerging technologies are brought together in ways that promote economic growth and an improved quality of life. GOALI was launched in 1993 with two experimental awards, and ENG began awarding GOALI grants in The next year, the initiative grew to include the Directorates for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) and for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). The initiative has been so successful that it was expanded in 1996 to include all NSF directorates. The GOALI program seeks to fund research beyond that which industry would normally fund but at the same time which clearly interests industry at an early stage. Benefits to universities may include extensions to in-house research capabilities; alignment of efforts with viable technology options; direct and more immediate impact on technology and its design infrastructure; and the training of students for industrial positions. Possible benefits for industry include more research-intensive activities; investigations of high-risk ideas; increased manpower for research; the training of students for future employment; and vetting of future hires. The GOALI program moved from DMII to IIP in 2006. 11

12. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
Recent Charleston, WV Spill and Groundwater Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction (RAPID)
“Advancing Membrane Bioelectrochemical Reactors For Domestic Wastewater Treatment” – Virginia Polytech
Mechanisms for Interacting
Pairing university researchers with industry partners
Identifying important areas for research 12

13. PFI:BIC Revised in 2013 to focus on smart service systems
Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity
PFI:BIC
I/UCRC
SBIR/STTR
GOALI
PFI:BIC
ERC
STC
Established 2000
Develops technological and human innovation capacity through academe-industry partnerships
Resources Invested
Revised in 2013 to focus on smart service systems
Focus on technologies with potential for transformational change in existing service systems, or to spur entirely new service systems
Understand the interaction of technology with customers– the “socio-technical” system
The Senate initiated the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program in 2000 to stimulate our Nation’s innovation leadership and contribute to the U.S. economy and society through partnerships between academic institutions and other entities (e.g., private sector, government, economic development organizations, etc.). The program’s mission is to advance partnering arrangements that lead to sustainable economic and social outcomes through innovation; and to support high-impact projects with potential for replication and/or national-level implementation. The goals of PFI are to stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by the research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth; to build strong local, regional and national economies; to improve the national well-being; broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and to catalyze or enhance enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term. The PFI program has moved from Directorate of Education and Human Resource (EHR) to the Office of Integrative Activities (OIA), to EEC, and finally to IIP for integration with other partnerships programs.
NSF : “Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI:BIC) supports academe-industry partnerships, which are led by an
interdisciplinary academic research team collaborating with at least one industry partner to build technological, human, and service
system innovation capacity.”
” Topic: Smart Service Systems—Unrestricted as to domain knowledge and application areas. This topic has been further
refined and defined, including a stronger emphasis on service systems in the NSF context, which first and foremost includes the
signature characteristic of being human-centered as well as smart. Additionally, the emphasis has been shifted from the goal of
enabling a smart service system to a focus on integrating a technology or technologies into a specified human-centered smart
service system with the potential to achieve transformational change in an existing service system or to spur an entirely new service
system.”
“Interdisciplinary as well as cross-organizational research is emphasized. In addition to the discipline or disciplines related to the
technology, the disciplines to be included in this project are 1) systems engineering or engineering design, 2) computer
science/information technology, and 3) human factors/behavioral science/cognitive engineering.”
“Examples of technology applied to service systems include smart healthcare, smart cities, on-demand
transportation, precision agriculture, smart infrastructure, and other technologies enabling self-service and
customized service solutions.” 13

14. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
“Self-Learning Algorithms for Advancement of Smart Stormwater Green Infrastructure Systems”
Mechanisms for Interacting
Large awards that can accommodate many partners
Pairing university researchers with industry partners
Identifying important areas for research 14

15. PFI:AIR Established 2010 America Competes Act
Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research
PFI:AIR
I/UCRC
PFI:AIR-TT
PFI:AIR-RA
SBIR/STTR
GOALI
PFI:BIC
ERC
STC
Established 2010
America Competes Act
Lineage to NSF-funded research results
Resources Invested
PFI:AIR—Technology Translation
Aimed at faculty researchers to extend research discoveries toward commercial application
PFI:AIR—Research Alliance
Aimed at “centers” to leverage center investments to translate technologies and form a sustainable innovation ecosystem
Requires 3rd party investment to accelerate commercialization
OSTP: A Strategy for American Innovation: Driving Towards Sustanable Growth and Quality Jobs. September, 2009
America Competes Act December 2010: “The [NSF] Director shall carry out a program to award merit-reviewed, competitive grants to institutions of higher education to establish and to expand partnerships that promote innovation and increase the impact of research by developing tools and resources to connect new scientific discoveries to practical uses.”
Opportunity for academic researchers to accelerate NSF-funded research results toward commercialization
Within academic environment
Develops innovation and entrepreneurship experience for faculty and students
Creates partnerships
Established 2010
Two types of awards
Technology Translation (14-569): Designed for single investigators.
Research Alliance (13-591): Designed for centers.
NSF Technology Translation:
Quoted from the solicitation:
A well-constructed PFI: AIR-TT proposal should convey how the project will accomplish the following goals:
1. Technical – Advancement of the state of knowledge of the underlying research discovery toward commercial application via:
A proof-of-concept development, demonstration and evaluation with results sufficient to determine applicability of the
innovation to an identified market application/opportunity; OR
A prototype/ scale-up development, demonstration and evaluation, with results sufficient to determine initial feasibility and
functional limitations of the innovation in the identified market application/opportunity. At the end of the award, a project with a
prototype/ scale-up output should be sufficiently developed to be demonstrated at a technology showcase.
2. Commercial – Although the predominance of effort is expected to be in the achievement of the technical goals, progress on the
market/commercial side is also expected. For example, at the end of the project there should be an enhanced understanding of the
following issues: the identified market space, the market need, the competitive technologies; the potential impact of the proposed
competitive innovation/substitution technology; necessary intellectual property protection, licensing opportunities and freedom to
operate issues; and environmental health, safety, and/or other regulatory issues. The individual(s) with business experience should
lead this effort.
3. Educational – Participants in this effort should demonstrate an enhanced understanding of innovation, technology commercialization
and/or entrepreneurship by the end of the project.
NSF AIR-RA: From the solicitation:
“A well-constructed PFI:AIR-RA proposal should convey how the project will accomplish the following goals:
Expected accomplishments of PFI:AIR-RA
The proposed work will accomplish translational or use-inspired research to enable the translation and transfer of research
results and/or innovative technologies with clear value propositions into new start-up businesses or existing firms.
The proposed work will result in the development and/or enhancement of an academic-based innovation ecosystem with a
strategic network of connections between university researchers, the business community, and others that accelerate
innovation.
At the end of the proposed work, there will be measurable evidence of a developing and sustainable academic-based
innovation ecosystem, as documented using the proposer's assessment method(s) and success metric(s).
The proposed work will result in students who understand innovation and are prepared to be entrepreneurially competitive.” 15

16. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
Sensors for detecting hazardous compounds
Development of enhanced crops
Mechanisms for Interacting
Pairing university researchers with industry partners
Identifying important areas for research 16

17. I-Corps Established 2011 I-Corps Teams I-Corps Nodes I-Corps Sites
I/UCRC
PFI:AIR-TT
PFI:AIR-RA
SBIR/STTR
GOALI
PFI:BIC
I-Corps
ERC
STC
Established 2011
Resources Invested
I-Corps Teams
Principle Investigator, Entrepreneurial Lead, Mentor
I-Corps Nodes
Deliver I-Corps Curriculum
I-Corps Sites
Enable academic institutions to catalyze teams
The primary goal of NSF I-Corps is to foster entrepreneurship that will lead to the commercialization of technology that has been supported previously by NSF-funded research.
The approach to entrepreneurship uses techniques developed to validate each commercial opportunity in a recognized, effective way: customer and business model development
The vehicle for commercialization activities will most often be start-ups founded by the I-Corps participants; successful I-Corps projects will be prepared for business formation
The I-Corps programs feed the NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs
NSF will work with the private sector to bring additional resources to the table (in the form of partnerships and finance), when warranted
There are three distinct components of I-Corps: Teams, Nodes and Sites.
**I-Corps Teams are composed of the principal investigator(s) (PI), an entrepreneurial lead (EL), and a mentor.
I-Corps Teams have three essential members: the principal investigator, the entrepreneurial lead and the mentor. Over a period of six months, each I-Corps Team learns what it will take to achieve an economic impact with their particular innovation. The I-Corps Curriculum enables Teams to systematically identify and address knowledge gaps in order to understand the most appropriate path forward for their technology concept.
**The I-Corps Nodes serve as hubs for education, infrastructure and research that engage academic scientists and engineers in innovation; they also deliver the I-Corps Curriculum to I-Corps Teams.
I-Corps Nodes are designed to support regional needs for innovation education, infrastructure and research. The I-Corps Nodes will work cooperatively to build, utilize and sustain a national innovation ecosystem that further enhances the development of technologies, products and processes that benefit society. The interconnected nodes of this network may be diverse in research areas, resources, tools, programs, capabilities and in geographic locations, while the network will have the flexibility to grow or reconfigure as needs arise.
**The I-Corps Sites are academic institutions that catalyze the engagement of multiple, local teams in technology transition and strengthen local innovation.
I-Corps Sites aim to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. The Sites will provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. The Sites also will strengthen their local innovation ecosystems and contribute to a national network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.
The purpose of an I-Corps Site is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their ideas, devices, processes or other intellectual activities into the marketplace. Leverage existing entrepreneurship activities to provide a “mini” I-Corps like environment. 17

18. “Get out of the building” … and talk to your local extension?

19. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
Wise-Irr Smart Irrigation via Wireless Underground Sensors
Pulsepod: Bringing the Cloud Down to Earth – Sensors
Effective protection against damage to crops in drought conditions
Mechanisms of Interacting
Identify mentors
Get in touch with a local node
Be or connect an interviewee! 19

20. SBIR/STTR SBIR trial at NSF—1976
Small Business Innovation Research
Small Business Technology Transfer
SBIR/STTR
I/UCRC
SBIR/STTR
ERC
STC
SBIR trial at NSF—1976
SBIR programs added to other agencies—1982
STTR added—1992
Resources Invested
SBIR
Currently 11 federal agencies have SBIR programs
~2.5% of their R&D budget
STTR
Currently 5 federal agencies have STTR programs
~0.3% of their R&D budget
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program were conceived at the National Science Foundation (NSF). In 1976, Roland Tibbetts initiated a NSF program for the support of the small business community, specifically to provide early-stage financial support for high-risk technologies with commercial promise. In 1980, under the Carter Administration, a White House Conference on Small Business recommended that a program for small business innovation research be created. Congress responded under the Reagan Administration with the passage of the Small Business Innovation Research Development Act of 1982 (SBIDA, Public Law , codified as 15 U.S.C. 638). At NSF, the implementation of SBIDA is the responsibility of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG). The history of the Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, from its origin at NSF in 1976 up to 2002, is described in a National Academies publication entitled, SBIR Program Diversity and Assessment Challenges ( From 1994 to 2004, the NSF SBIR and STTR programs were located in the Division of Design, Manufacture and Industrial Innovation (DMII). In 2005 NSF established the Office of Industrial Innovation (OII) to house the small business programs and to highlight contributions of and to advocate for a stronger innovation role for ENG. OII evolved into the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, where the small business programs now reside along with academic programs dedicated to building university–industry collaboration that enables innovation.
From SBIR website (FY14 NSF budget is 2.8% for SBIR and 0.4% for STTR)
SBIR-Participating Agencies
Each year, Federal agencies with extramural research and development (R&D) budgets that exceed $100 million are required to allocate 2.5 percent of their R&D budget to these programs. Currently, eleven Federal agencies participate in the program:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce - National Institute of Standards and Technology
Department of Commerce - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation
Environmental Protection Agency
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
Each agency administers its own individual program within guidelines established by Congress. These agencies designate R&D topics in their solicitations and accept proposals from small businesses. Awards are made on a competitive basis after proposal evaluation.
STTR-Participating Agencies (piloted in 1992)
Each year, Federal agencies with extramural research and development (R&D) budgets that exceed $1 billion are required to reserve 0.3% of the extramural research budget for STTR awards to small businesses. These agencies designate R&D topics and accept proposals. Currently, five agencies participate in the STTR program:
Each agency administers its own individual program within guidelines established by Congress.  These agencies designate R&D topics in their solicitations and accept proposals from small businesses. Awards are made on a competitive basis after proposal evaluation. 20

21. Examples and Mechanisms for Interacting
“Multimodal Sensor Platform for Automated Detection and Classification of Pest Insects”
“Development and Commercialization of Nitrate-Selective Sensors for Precision Agriculture”
“Use of Machine Learning Techniques for Robust Crop and Weed Detection in Agricultural Fields”
Mechanisms of Interacting
Participate on a subaward
Partner for pilots
Source: Blue Ricer Technology 21

22. Technology Areas of Interest
Generally, IIP programs do NOT solicit specific technology research areas.
However, precision agriculture is expected to be a hot topic in NSF ENG and IIP. Or, tools to enable precision agriculture.
NSF tries to avoid significant overlap with USDA. Therefore, NSF IIP research tends to be more exploratory and/or focused on platform technologies than specific technology solutions. (Follows pattern for
“mission agency” vs. NSF in general) 22

23. Overall Messages
IIP supports a broad spectrum of activities, from basic to applied, but ALL require the identification of a problem(s).
Connect researchers and industry members. It’s not always easy to matchmake, but it’s important!
Less concerned about “checking the outreach box”. Instead, think of IIP-funded researchers as resources for you. Outreach with real-life applications is exciting! 23

24. Resources Connecting with NSF-funded Researchers IIP’s Programs
NSF Award Search nsf.gov/awardsearch/advancedSearch.jsp.
Local is not always necessary but can help.
Search for fundamental research to help transfer OR search for existing IIP grantees to partner with.
Sometimes application is not obvious. Don’t be afraid to reach out.
I-Corps Nodes & Sites venturewell.org/i-corps/nodes-and-sites/
I/UCRC Directory
IIP’s Programs
Main List nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=IIP
I-Corps nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/ 24

25. Contact Lindsay D’Ambrosio ldambros@nsf.gov 703-292-4801 IIP Main Line