[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E532-E533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INNOVATORS TO ENTREPRENEURS ACT OF 2018

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                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 24, 2018

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5086, 
the ``Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act.'' Congressman Lipinski's 
legislation makes crucial investments in business literacy by requiring 
the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop an I-
Corps course to support commercialization-ready innovation companies.
  The I-Corps program helps scientists and engineers to extend their 
focus beyond the

[[Page E533]]

university laboratory and accelerates the economic and societal 
benefits of NSF-funded basic-research projects that are ready to move 
toward commercialization. Once a team completes an I-Corp course and 
wants to introduce their product to the markets, they're left to form 
and develop a business plan without any prior training or knowledge. 
However, not all scientists and engineers have the proper educational 
background to create and run a successful business and many fail in the 
early stages. In. response, the NSF created ``I-Corp Go'' to teach 
business skills that are essential and fundamental to a company's 
success. After the program's initial success, H.R. 5086 was introduced 
to make it a permanent addition to the I-Corp program.
  As a representative of Atlanta, a place where hundreds of small 
businesses seek to compete with large corporations, this legislation is 
near and dear to my heart. H.R. 5086 will provide constituents in my 
district and new innovators with access to high quality educational 
opportunities and I support this legislation.

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