Workshop offers ways to market research ideas and results

An upcoming workshop hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will help student researchers and local entrepreneurs find ways to make money from their work.

The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) is holding its Spring Super Regional workshop in the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Mapp Building at UTC. The four-week workshop runs March 28 through April 20 with three workshops and 20 customer interviews.

“The path to commercialization is not easy and success requires partnerships and access to resources like the I-Corps program,” said Jennifer Herrett-Skjellum, UTC commercialization counselor.

Co-sponsored by I-Corps South at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the workshops are designed to help individuals interested in commercializing technology-based ideas to build a business model that addresses customers’ needs.

Applications for teams of two to four members now are being taken. The workshop is limited to 20 teams. To apply, email Shawn Carson at scarson2@utk.edu.

Over the course of the workshop, researchers and entrepreneurs will learn how to understand market demand, and how to present their products in ways that meet target customer need.

Teams will conduct a series of interviews with prospective customers. At the final meeting, participants will discuss what they’ve learned.

The opportunity for UTC faculty and Chattanooga entrepreneurs to participate in this program represents a significant milestone, said UTC Vice Chancellor for Research Joanne Romagni.

Research and entrepreneurship work together, Romagni said, and commercialization can broaden the benefits of both through new partnerships and applications.

Other partners in I-Corps South are the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at UT Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the University of Tennessee Research Foundation.