[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3489-H3491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INNOVATORS TO ENTREPRENEURS ACT OF 2018

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5086) to require the Director of the National 
Science Foundation to develop an I-Corps course to support 
commercialization-ready innovation companies, and for other purposes, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5086

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Innovators to Entrepreneurs 
     Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps 
     Program (hereinafter referred to as ``I-Corps''), created 
     administratively by the Foundation in 2011 and statutorily 
     authorized in the American Innovation and Competitiveness 
     Act, has succeeded in increasing the commercialization of 
     Government-funded research.
       (2) I-Corps provides valuable entrepreneurial education to 
     graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other 
     researchers, providing formal training for scientists and 
     engineers to pursue careers in business, an increasingly 
     common path for advanced degree holders.
       (3) The I-Corps Teams program is successful in part due to 
     its focus on providing the specific types of education and 
     mentoring entrepreneurs need based on the early stage of 
     their companies, however the program does not provide similar 
     support to them at later stages.
       (4) The success of I-Corps in the very early stages of the 
     innovation continuum should be expanded upon by offering 
     additional entrepreneurship training to small businesses as 
     they advance toward commercialization.
       (5) The excellent training made available to grantees of 
     participating agencies through the I-Corps Program should be 
     made available to all Federal grantees as well as other 
     businesses willing to pay the cost of attending such 
     training.
       (6) The success of the I-Corps Program at promoting 
     entrepreneurship within research institutions and encouraging 
     research commercialization has been due in part to the 
     National Science Foundation's efforts to date on building a 
     national network of science entrepreneurs, including 
     convening stakeholders, promoting national I-Corps courses, 
     cataloguing best practices and encourage sharing between 
     sites and institutions, and developing a mentor network.
       (7) As the I-Corps Program continues to grow and expand, 
     the National Science Foundation should maintain its focus on 
     networking and information sharing to ensure that innovators 
     across the country can learn from their peers and remain 
     competitive.

     SEC. 3. EXPANDED PARTICIPATION IN I-CORPS.

       Section 601(c)(2) of the American Innovation and 
     Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s-8(c)(2)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(C) Additional participants.--
       ``(i) Eligibility.--The Director, in consultation with 
     relevant stakeholders, as determined by the Director, which 
     may include Federal agencies, I-Corps regional nodes, 
     universities, and public and private entities engaged in 
     technology transfer or commercialization of technologies, 
     shall provide an option for participation in an I-Corps Teams 
     course by--

       ``(I) Small Business Innovation Research Program grantees; 
     and
       ``(II) other entities, as determined appropriate by the 
     Director.

       ``(ii) Cost of participation.--The cost of participation by 
     a Small Business Innovation Research Program grantee in such 
     course may be provided--

       ``(I) through I-Corps Teams grants;
       ``(II) through funds awarded to grantees under the Small 
     Business Innovation Research Program or the Small Business 
     Technology Transfer Program;
       ``(III) by the grantor Federal agency of the grantee using 
     funds set aside for the Small Business Innovation Research 
     Program under section 9(f)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 638(f)(1));
       ``(IV) by the grantor Federal agency of the grantee using 
     funds set aside for the Small Business Technology Transfer 
     Program under section 9(n)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 638(n)(1)); or
       ``(V) by the participating teams.''.

     SEC. 4. I-CORPS COURSE FOR COMMERCIALIZATION-READY 
                   PARTICIPANTS.

       (a) In General.--In carrying out the I-Corps program 
     described in section 601(c) of the American Innovation and 
     Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s-8(c)), the Director 
     shall develop an I-Corps course offered by I-Corps regional 
     nodes to support commercialization-ready participants. Such 
     course shall include skills such as attracting investors, 
     scaling up a company, and building a brand.
       (b) Engagement With Relevant Stakeholders.--In developing 
     the course under subsection (a), the Director may consult 
     with the heads of such Federal agencies, universities, and 
     public and private entities as the Director determines to be 
     appropriate.
       (c) Eligible Participants.--The course developed under 
     subsection (a) shall--
       (1) support participants that have completed an I-Corps 
     Teams course;
       (2) support participants that have made the decision to 
     take an innovation to market.

     SEC. 5. REPORT.

       Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
     submit to Congress a report containing an evaluation of the 
     I-Corps program described in section 601(c) of the American 
     Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s-8(c)). 
     Such evaluation shall include an assessment of the effects of 
     I-Corps on--
       (1) the commercialization of Federally funded research and 
     development;
       (2) the higher education system; and
       (3) regional economies and the national economy.

     SEC. 6. FUNDING.

       (a) Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020.--Out of amounts otherwise 
     authorized for the National Science Foundation, there is 
     authorized to be appropriated a total of $5,000,000 for 
     fiscal years 2019 and 2020 to carry out the activities 
     described in section 4 and the amendment made by section 3.
       (b) Limitation.--No additional funds are authorized to be 
     appropriated to carry out this Act and the amendments made by 
     this Act, and this Act and such amendments shall be carried 
     out using amounts otherwise available for such purpose.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Webster) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on H.R. 5086, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the 
Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act, H.R. 5086.
  I thank my friend Daniel Lipinski for introducing the legislation 
with me. He is a champion of the time-proven Innovation Corps program, 
better known as I-Corps.
  This bipartisan piece of legislation is a result of the committee 
hearings on the I-Corps program. The Innovation Corps program was 
created by the National Science Foundation in 2011 to teach scientists 
and engineers how to

[[Page H3490]]

turn their laboratory innovations into successful commercial products 
and services.
  This program assists scientists and engineers in the development of 
their academic research and equips them to bring that research into the 
private market. We have witnessed the wonderful successes of this 
program in my home State of Florida and across the Nation. H.R. 5086 
expands the I-Corps program by creating a new course for 
commercialization-ready companies.
  Following the completion of an I-Corps team course, individuals are 
eligible for this new course which will help them create, market, and 
eventually expand their private sector company. Through marketing, 
hiring, organizing, and attracting investors, these participants' 
success increases dramatically.
  The bill breaks down the barriers experienced by current scientists 
when attempting to bring their product to market. Additionally, this 
bill expands the groups allowed to apply for the I-Corps program and 
offers new options for how to initially pay for the course.
  Mr. Speaker, I would appreciate my colleagues' support in passing 
this commonsense piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5086, the Innovators to 
Entrepreneurs Act of 2018, a bill that I introduced to spur 
entrepreneurship and turn American innovation into jobs.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Webster) for being a 
lead cosponsor of this legislation.
  This bill expands the National Science Foundation's highly successful 
Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, program, which, as my Science, Space, and 
Technology Committee colleagues know, I have been a major champion of 
since it was first created by NSF in 2011.
  In 2016, I led the effort that officially authorized I-Corps. I-Corps 
teaches scientists and engineers how to turn their federally funded 
laboratory research into successful products and services. The program 
has educated more than 1,100 teams, including many women and 
underrepresented minorities, and has been linked to over 400 startup 
companies.
  Since it was authorized in the last Congress, NSF has helped spread 
I-Corps to other agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, 
NASA, and the Department of Energy.
  The Federal Government invests billions of dollars in research and 
development annually, both at government facilities like National Labs 
and at universities and research institutions. I-Corps is a modest 
investment that leads to a much higher return on our federally funded 
research by significantly increasing rates of commercialization and job 
creation.
  Our economy is driven by the ingenuity of our scientists and 
engineers, developing innovations today that become tomorrow's great 
products; and yet, still only a minority of federally funded research 
with commercial potential ever makes it to the marketplace. The I-Corps 
program helps change that.
  But we can do even more, and this bill helps to do that. First, it 
helps more people participate in the program. Right now, unless you are 
a grantee of the NSF or another agency with an I-Corps program, the 
training can be difficult to access. This bill will give recipients of 
small business grants from any Federal agency the flexibility to pay 
for I-Corps with their grant funds. It will also let private citizens 
apply and pay out of pocket to participate.
  Second, the bill directs NSF to establish a new course as part of the 
I-Corps program to teach scientist entrepreneurs how to start and grow 
a company. While the current I-Corps course does a great job of helping 
scientists develop innovation and determine whether or not it is 
suitable for commercialization, it offers only limited guidance for 
what to do after the decision is made to become an entrepreneur.
  Skills such as how to write a business plan, hire a team, and attract 
investment are taught in business schools, but not in Ph.D. programs. 
NSF recognizes that need and has already begun a pilot program to test 
curricula for this new course. This bill will make sure the new course 
is fully developed and made available around the country.
  Finally, this bill requires a GAO assessment of the I-Corps program, 
its first comprehensive, independent evaluation since it was created. 
Although the program's success to date speaks for itself, it is 
important to continuously improve it by developing metrics to measure 
its performance and to ensure that Federal funds are well spent.
  This bill has been endorsed by a wide range of stakeholders, 
including the former NSF program officer who founded the program, Dr. 
Errol Arkilic; Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur who developed the 
curriculum that I-Corps is based on, Steve Blank; and directors of I-
Corps Nodes around the country.

  The bill is also endorsed by the Information Technology and 
Innovation Foundation, the National Venture Capital Association, the 
Council on Governmental Relations, and the Association of Public and 
Land-grant Universities.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member 
Johnson for their support of this legislation, and again I want to 
thank the lead cosponsor, Mr. Webster of Florida. I also want to thank 
Senator Coons, who is leading the Senate companion bill.
  I ask my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation which 
will help spur greater American innovation and create more jobs, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Space, Science, 
and Technology Committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Webster), a valued member of the Space, Science, and Technology 
Committee for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5086, the Innovators to 
Entrepreneurs Act. The bill extends the reach of the National Science 
Foundation's Innovative Corps, or I-Corps, program, which trains and 
prepares scientists and engineers to advance their research results 
into entrepreneurial opportunities.
  H.R. 5086 expands who is eligible to participate in I-Corps courses, 
allowing a portion of small business innovation research grants and 
small business technology transfer grants to be used to cover I-Corps 
training expenses. The bill also allows any private citizen to apply to 
participate and pay out-of-pocket.
  H.R. 5086 authorizes a new I-Corps course for commercial-ready 
research ventures that teaches skills involving company organization, 
attracting investors, and hiring.
  In research labs today lie the seeds for breakthroughs in new fields 
like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering. 
These breakthroughs will continue to transform our lives and the world 
we live in.
  Many scientists and engineers are not trained for commercializing 
those ideas and did not go to business school or take any business 
development classes. I-Corps gives researchers tools to maximize the 
taxpayer investment in basic research and to spur innovation. H.R. 5086 
builds on the success of the I-Corps program in building connections 
between academia and the private sector to create more startups and 
more jobs.
  We thank the Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Dan 
Lipinski and Representative  Daniel Webster for taking the lead on this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith again for his support of this 
legislation.
  We all know that helping our scientists, engineers, and academics not 
only advances our knowledge and understanding of the world, but it also 
creates jobs and products that fuel our economy, which is a goal that 
all of us can agree upon.
  As a former university professor, I know that it is not something 
that we teach in Ph.D. programs. We have the greatest researchers in 
the world here in the United States. We invest so much in Federal 
dollars for research. This is a simple program, low cost, that helps 
get the biggest bang for our buck, helps create jobs, and keeps

[[Page H3491]]

America on the leading edge of innovation in the world. It is something 
that we need for today and for our future.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Lipinski, Chairman Smith, and the 
entire House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for their support 
of this legislation. It is a good bill, and it will spur the creation 
of new businesses and new jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. 
Lipinski for his leadership on this issue and for introducing this 
legislation.
  Scientific research conducted at our nation's universities and 
national laboratories has had an undeniable impact on our daily lives. 
The societal impacts of research have been varied. Scientific advances 
have improved public health and safety, increased our national 
security, enhanced our quality of life, and advanced our economic 
competitiveness.
  The societal benefit of research is only realized if the science 
successfully makes it out of the laboratory. This does not always 
happen, and in fact, the successful commercialization of scientific 
advances is largely the exception, rather than the rule.
  The path from the laboratory to the market is difficult to navigate. 
Many promising ideas are never considered for commercialization, while 
some researchers invest significant time and money into launching a 
startup only to realize that there is no market for their innovation.
  The commercialization of scientific research is an important driver 
of economic growth. Now, more than ever, global competition is pushing 
companies to innovate and incorporate new technologies into their 
business models. At the same time, researchers are generating 
innovative products, processes, and services with the potential to 
transform entire industries.
  To maintain our position as the global leader in technological 
innovation, we must ensure that we are realizing the full economic 
potential of federal investment in research. Other countries have 
caught on to research as one of the secrets to our success, and they 
are nipping at our heels.
  To accelerate and streamline the process of maximizing the impact of 
research beyond the laboratory, the National Science Foundation 
launched its Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, program in 2011. The NSF I-
Corps program leverages existing curriculum, tools, and educational 
resources to prepare grantees to identify and pursue commercial 
opportunities with their NSF-funded research.
  Since it was established, the I-Corps program has successfully 
provided entrepreneurship training to nearly 3,000 individuals at over 
200 universities. Combined, I-Corps grantees have raised over $100 
million, with $30 million coming from private investors. Grantees have 
used the skills and networks they gained from their I-Corps training to 
start over 360 companies.
  The success of I-Corps has generated significant interest from 
individuals outside of academia. The Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 
2018 expands the reach of I-Corps by extending eligibility to SBIR 
grantees and other outside entities. The bill also builds upon the 
existing I-Corps curriculum by adding a course to help research 
ventures that are ready to be brought to market.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Webster) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5086, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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