Researchers turn ideation into innovation with NSF I-Corps at UIC

It can be difficult to translate research discoveries into effective business ventures. The U.S. National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program facilitates the transformation of invention to impact, helping scientists take a promising idea from the laboratory and turn it into a technology, product or service that benefits society.

"We focus on building customer discovery skills that help researchers better understand their markets and move innovations from the lab into the world," said Avi Mayerhoff, director of corporate partnerships and site director for NSF I-Corps at UIC.

As one of 16 institutional members of the Great Lakes Regional I-Corps Hub, UIC provides research teams with access to training, mentoring, networking and funding opportunities to grow their entrepreneurial mindsets and market competitiveness. The majority of the 14 participating teams are working on UIC-owned intellectual property, and through 2025, the Great Lakes Regional I-Corps Hub has reported $1.4 billion in economic impact.

"We work with ideas at nearly any stage, whether they're just emerging from the lab with potential impact or already being tested with prospective customers," said Mayerhoff. "Teams apply by sharing what they're working on, and we ensure they have the resources and support needed to get started."

One of the teams in this year's regional cohort was selected for the national I-Corps program. Michael Caffrey and Igor Paprotny are working to develop and commercialize, through their company BioAerium, an early-warning sensing system that can sense airborne infectious viruses, functioning like a smoke detector for airborne pathogens. The goal is to protect humans and animals from future pandemic-like events.

As part of the national program, they will participate in an immersive seven-week training program, engaging with prospective customers and partners to determine the commercial potential of their technology. They'll be eligible to receive up to $50,000 to support their efforts. The team already had a breakthrough using the I-Corps program's customer discovery training.

"I-Corps enabled us to narrow down our focus towards the agricultural market, because that's where we're able to find the best use cases," said Paprotny. "We have an ongoing project funded by the swine industry to try to detect endemic diseases. There's an immediate use case for farmers: if you can detect animals being sick earlier, you can likely prevent significant losses."

When researchers make a discovery, it can take a lot of time and funding to transform it into technology for the market. The I-Corps program helps researchers understand their audience and launch their technologies so they can make an impact.

"Sometimes in academia we're thinking in terms of research projects, goals, solving problems," said Caffrey. "But if no one wants to buy that product, it's not a business, it's a research project. We have to navigate the translation from academics to business as we go forward."

Registration is now open for the fall cohort of I-Corps at UIC. For additional information, please contact .

- Rebecca Clair, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research