[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 34 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2055-H2058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INNOVATORS TO ENTREPRENEURS ACT OF 2019

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 539) 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.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 539

       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 2019''.

     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--

[[Page H2056]]

       ``(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) In General.--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 2020 and 
     2021 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 
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 539, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to put before the House today H.R. 
539.
  The House passed a nearly identical bill, H.R. 5086, in the 115th 
Congress and, unfortunately, that is as far as the bill got. Hopefully, 
we can get more movement on it this time around, get it through the 
Senate, and to the President's desk for his signature.
  Mr. Speaker, the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act is a bill I 
introduced to spur entrepreneurship and turn American innovation into 
American jobs. This bill expands the National Science Foundation's 
highly successful Innovation Corps, or I-Corps program, a program I am 
proud to have championed since its inception in 2011.
  I-Corps teaches scientists and engineers, including many women and 
underrepresented minorities, how to turn their federally-funded 
laboratory research into successful products and services.
  The program has educated more than 1,300 teams, representing 271 
universities in 47 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 
It has been linked to almost 650 startup companies that have raised 
almost $300 million in follow-on funding.
  In the 114th Congress, I led the effort that authorized I-Corps and 
expanded its reach 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, such as national 
labs, and at universities and research institutions. I-Corps is a 
modest investment that leads to a higher return on our research 
spending by significantly increasing rates of commercialization, 
economic activity, 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 small minority of federally-funded 
research with commercial potential ever makes it to the marketplace. 
The I-Corps program helps to change that.
  This bill expands I-Corps to meet some pressing needs.
  First, it helps more people participate in the program. Right now, 
unless you are a grantee of 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, and will also 
allow other entrepreneurs to 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 and engineers determine who their customers are and whether 
their innovation is suitable for commercialization, it offers only 
limited guidance on what to do after a scientist makes the decision to 
become an entrepreneur.
  Skills like how to write a business plan, hire a team, and attract 
investment are taught in business schools, but not in Ph.D. programs. 
NSF recognized this need and has already begun a pilot program to test 
curriculum 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 ensure that Federal funds are well spent.
  This bill has been endorsed by a wide range of stakeholders, 
including the ``father of modern entrepreneurship,'' who developed the 
curriculum that I-Corps is based on, Steve Blank; the former NSF 
program officer, who founded the program, Dr. Errol Arkilic; and 
several directors of I-Corps Nodes around the country.
  This bill is also endorsed by the Information Technology and 
Innovation Foundation, the National Venture Capital Association, the 
Association of American Universities; the Council on Governmental 
Relations; and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

  I thank my cosponsors, Daniel Webster of Florida, Anthony Gonzalez of 
Ohio, Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, and Ranking Member Frank Lucas of Oklahoma. I also 
thank Senators Coons and Young, who are cosponsors of the Senate 
companion to this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that helping our scientists, engineers, and 
academics not only advance our knowledge and understanding of the 
world, but also create jobs and products that fuel our economy, is a 
goal we all can share.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 539, the Innovators to 
Entrepreneurs Act of 2019.
  H.R. 539 extends the outreach of the National Science Foundation's 
Innovation Corps program, also known as I-Corps.

[[Page H2057]]

  I-Corps trains and prepares scientists and engineers to take their 
research from the lab and turn it into commercial products and 
services.
  Research labs are making 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.
  But many scientists and engineers are not trained for commercializing 
these discoveries and did not go to business school or take any 
business development classes. I-Corps gives researchers the tools to 
maximize the taxpayer investment in basic research and spur innovation.
  H.R. 539 expands the eligible pool for I-Corps courses and allows a 
portion of Federal small business grants be used to cover I-Corps 
training expenses.
  The bill also allows any private citizen to apply to participate and 
pay out-of-pocket.
  Finally, H.R. 539 authorizes a new I-Corps boot-camp course that 
teaches valuable skills, like structuring a company, attracting 
investors, and hiring staff.
  In my district, Oklahoma State University has a successful support 
system for business startups, both on and off campus. I-Corps is a key 
part of that system, helping students and faculty learn how to 
commercialize their ideas and build a business.

                              {time}  1700

  H.R. 539 will help programs like the one at OSU grow and become self-
sustaining.
  I want to thank Representative  Dan Lipinski and Representative  Dan 
Webster for their work on this legislation. I also want to thank my 
friend and our new chairwoman of the Science, Space, and Technology 
Committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, for her work in advancing this 
bipartisan bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Webster).
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for 
yielding me time.
  I rise today to support and ask my House colleagues to pass H.R. 539, 
the Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act.
  I would like to issue a special thanks to my friend  Dan Lipinski, 
who introduced this legislation, and he continues to serve as a 
champion for the time-proven I-Corps program.
  The Innovation Core program was created by the National Science 
Foundation in 2011 to teach scientists and engineers how to turn their 
laboratory innovations into successful commercial products and 
services. I know engineers are lacking in that area. I am one. I think 
I invented, before I was 21 years old, about three or four, maybe five, 
things which were really awesome; but nobody bought them except me, and 
it wasn't good.
  So this program assists scientists and engineers in the development 
of their academic research and equips them to bring research into a 
private market where jobs can be created and money can be won through 
that. We witnessed the wonderful success of this program in my home 
State of Florida, the University of Central Florida.
  H.R. 539 expands the I-Corps program to create a new course in 
commercial-ready companies. Individuals who have completed an existing 
I-Corps course would be eligible for this new course which will help 
them create, market, and, eventually, expand their private-sector 
company.
  This bill breaks down the barriers experienced by current scientists 
when attempting to bring their product to market. Through marketing, 
hiring, organizing, and attracting investors, these participants can 
have a better shot at not only success, but also increasing, 
dramatically, their business.
  Additionally, H.R. 539 expands the number of groups eligible to apply 
to the I-Corps program and offers new options on how to initially pay 
for the course.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank Mr. 
Lipinski and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee for 
their work on this bill, and I encourage all my House colleagues to 
join together to pass this commonsense piece of legislation.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Gonzalez).
  Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 539, the 
Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2019.
  I want to thank Mr. Lipinski, Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member 
Lucas, and Mr. Webster for all the hard work they have put into this 
important legislation.
  Entrepreneurship is hard; it is risky; it is the road less traveled; 
it is an all-encompassing journey that tests every ounce of strength 
and skill that those bold enough to pursue it have to offer; and its 
successful practice is essential to the future prosperity of our 
Nation.
  The bill we are considering today takes the breakthrough lessons of 
customer development first codified by Steve Blank, whose teachings are 
engrained in the conscience of many business school students--but less 
of our Ph.D. students--and forms the basis of the NSF I-Corps program, 
a program that has already proven its worth at turning breakthrough 
scientific research into successful commercial enterprise.
  Since this program was created in 2011, more than 600 startups have 
been formed through the various I-Corps sites, including in my home 
State of Ohio at the University of Akron, The Ohio State University, 
and the University of Toledo.
  As just one example, University of Akron I-Corps startup Fontus Blue 
provides decisionmaking software that helps water treatment plants to 
produce consistently excellent drinking water. The software is used by 
plants in 24 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Brazil.
  The bill before us today expands upon the success of the current 
program by opening up access to small business innovation research 
grantees and also private individuals. Additionally, this bill allows 
small business innovation research grants and the small business 
technology transfer grants to be used to access I-Corps training.
  Finally, this bill would require I-Corps to develop a course for 
commercialization-ready teams to help them learn the skills needed to 
attract investors, build a brand, and scale a business.
  As we confront the economic challenges of the 21st century, it will 
be our innovators and entrepreneurs who will create solutions to these 
seemingly intractable problems by channeling the entrepreneurial spirit 
and force of will that has driven our country to its greatest economic 
heights.
  The Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act safeguards our economy by 
empowering future generations of entrepreneurs in all corners of our 
country to turn their wildest dreams into our collective achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of this bill, I encourage my colleagues 
to support this legislation.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his 
dedicated and diligent work over this decade on this subject matter. I 
think we will all be better off for it. I know those folks who utilize 
the program and will have greater opportunities to utilize the program 
will benefit all of us as a society.

  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank full committee Chairwoman Eddie 
Bernice Johnson for cosponsoring. I want to thank Ranking Member Lucas, 
Mr. Gonzalez, and Mr. Webster for cosponsoring--Mr. Webster as the lead 
Republican cosponsor on this bill now and in the previous Congress.
  Mr. Webster talked about being an engineer. I was an engineer and 
then an academic; although, I wasn't an academic as an engineer. I was 
a political scientist. But I understand that a lot of scientists, 
engineers, political scientists have a lot of great ideas, a lot of 
great research.
  We as taxpayers put a lot of money into this research. There are a 
lot of

[[Page H2058]]

great ideas that come out of it, the possibility for great innovations.
  I will always remember when I first met with Steve Blank and saw him 
teaching the course that was the basis for I-Corps out of Stanford 
University. I thought this made complete sense to me, to be able to 
teach scientists and engineers, teach them how to be entrepreneurs, 
teach them how to develop ideas into new products, new services, and, 
hopefully, new American jobs.
  The I-Corps program has been one of the most successful programs that 
I have seen during my time in Washington, D.C. This bill will help to 
advance that, and in doing so, help advance American innovation. I 
think that is a goal that we can all embrace.
  So I ask my colleagues to support this bill, and, hopefully, we will 
work on it and get it through the Senate and to the President's desk, 
because I think this will be a great victory for our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 539, the Innovators 
to Entrepreneurs Act of 2019. I thank Mr. Lipinski for his leadership 
on this bipartisan legislation and look forward to working with him to 
see it through to the President's desk.
  Each dollar the U.S. invests in research grants at our universities 
is a dollar toward the birth of potentially game-changing discoveries 
and innovation. Innovation is the lifeblood of our economy. The job 
creation and economic security gains created by scientific advances can 
only be enjoyed if we fully support the innovation ecosystem from 
discovery to commercialization. Finding ways to maximize the benefits 
of federally funded research is critical to U.S. competitiveness in the 
global market.
  H.R. 539 does just that. This bill creates a link between two of our 
most important programs that focus on creating a sustainable path from 
laboratory to market for valuable scientific research. This bill 
expands participation in the Innovation Corps Program to Small Business 
Innovation Program grantees. Started at the National Science 
Foundation, the Innovation Corps program, or I-Corps, helps prepare 
scientists and engineers to think beyond the university lab and gives 
them the skills to identify products with commercial potential and to 
be successful entrepreneurs. The Small Business Innovation Program and 
Small Business Technology Transfer Program, known as SBIR and STTR, are 
valuable programs that provide competitive research and development 
grants and contracts to innovative small businesses.
  H.R. 539 also seeks make available specialized I-Corps courses in all 
aspects of preparing a product to go to market. This is a vital 
component which can help identify market failures and premature 
business formation. Unfortunately, too many innovative ideas do not 
make it to the commercialization phase. This bill will help increase 
those odds.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 539.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 539.
  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. LIPINSKI. 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.

                          ____________________