Research, Funding, and Awards

  • AU- Learn About Your Customers

    Accelerate UConn

    Accelerate UConn is UConn’s National Science Foundation (NSF)  Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site. Its mission is to catalyze the transition of new scientific discoveries and capabilities from the lab to the marketplace. Participating teams will receive an introduction to the most critical elements of the I-Corps Curriculum. Over the course of 7 weeks, teams will learn how to determine the market opportunity for their product or technology.

    Participants will learn how to:

    • Develop new ways to communicate the value of your product or technology

    • Understand the structure of the market you are entering

    • Develop strategies for generating demand for your product or technology

    • Identify next steps needed to launch your venture

    • Identify customers most likely to bring you revenue

    Summer 2020: 

    • 3 weeks of training on the Business Model Canvas and Customer Discovery Process

    • Coaching from industry experts and access to next step resources

    • $1,000 to support customer discovery and development of minimum viable product

    The deadline for the Summer 2020 cohort is June 26, 2020 at 11:59.

    Fall 2020: 

    • 7 weeks of training on the Business Model Canvas and Customer Discovery Process

    • Coaching from industry experts and access to next step resources

    • $3,000 to support customer discovery and development of minimum viable product

    • Help to identify team members

    The deadline to apply for the Fall 2020 cohort is September 18, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.

    Accelerate UConn is open to all university faculty and students.  

    The submission of an application is required for participation.  All applications will be reviewed by an independent panel of experienced entrepreneurs and subject area experts according to an objective set of criteria.  

    For more information, contact: Jennifer Murphy at Jennifer.Murphy@uconn.edu