Advancing Technology at NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created in 1950 with a mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense; and for other purposes". NSF's vision is "a Nation that creates and exploits new concepts in science and engineering and provides global leadership in research and education". NSF fulfills its mission and vision through investments in fundamental research that creates and discovers new knowledge; investments in translational research that catalyzes the transformation of knowledge into innovations that address societal needs; and investments in education and training that prepare the science and engineering workforce of the future.

The NSF Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships is home to six NSF-wide programs focused on bridging the gap between fundamental research and commercialization. The programs include GOALI (Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry), IUCRC (Industry University Cooperative Research Center), PFI (Partnerships for Innovation), I-Corps™ (Innovation Corps), SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research), and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer). The programs support activities that include fundamental research (GOALI), industry-inspired basic research (IUCRC), proof-of-concept demonstration (PFI), entrepreneurial training (I-Corps™), and high-risk, high-impact, early-stage, technology startups (SBIR/STTR).

This presentation will discuss the critical importance of innovation ecosystems with a structure that includes invention (creation or discovery of new knowledge), innovation (alignment of new knowledge to solve societal problems), entrepreneurship (building an organization to deliver an innovation to the marketplace), and education and training (creating a workforce to support the ecosystem). The NSF programs that contribute to the Nation's innovation ecosystem, thus advancing technology, will be presented and discussed.