[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 141 (Friday, August 7, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2021

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                               speech of

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2020

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, as we continue to confront the health and 
economic crises presented by COVID-19, Americans are understandably 
anxious about the future. I take hope in our history of meeting 
extraordinary challenges with new innovations, and I believe research 
and development will be a key part in addressing today's challenges as 
well.
  Our federal government supports some of the brightest and most 
creative minds in the world at America's colleges and universities 
through research grants administered by the National Science 
Foundation. Particularly in this time of economic turmoil, we must 
ensure that we fully capitalize on these research investments by 
transitioning scientific discovery into tangible products, creating new 
businesses for a healthy and prosperous America.
  My amendment highlights the importance of programs like the National 
Science Foundation Innovation Corps in facilitating tech transfer. I-
Corps, as it is known, began in 2011 and utilizes the Lean LaunchPad 
curriculum developed by serial entrepreneur Steve Blank to train 
faculty, students, and other researchers in entrepreneurship. The 
immersive experience requires participants to get out of the lab and 
interview industry leaders and potential customers. Researchers gain an 
improved understanding of how their work could be further applied to 
meet real needs in our nation. These insights improve potential 
commercialization of their work and influence future research 
directions.
  According to the spring 2019 Innovation Corps biennial report, since 
inception in 2011 I-Corps has trained 1,315 teams with a total of 3,745 
people. These participants have raised rnore than $300 million in 
follow-on funding and created 644 startups. The report highlights 
recent participating teams, including Respira Labs, which spun out of 
the University of California Berkley to develop a technology 
incorporating AI to predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 
attacks; Diligent Robotics, which develops robotic equipment that 
supports healthcare staff in Texas; and Ecovia Renewables, founded at 
the University of Michigan to create compostable alternatives to 
petrochemical polymers found in a variety of commercial products. These 
and many other companies are now in existence due to the National 
Science Foundation research funding and the training that enabled their 
founders to transition their findings into tangible products Americans 
can use.
  I thank my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for increasing 
funding for this critical program in this year's CJS appropriations 
bill, to a total of $40 million. I encourage my colleagues to continue 
their strong support for National Science Foundation university 
research programs and I-Corps in future budgets.

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