Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2019

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.

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.

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. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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.

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.

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. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Webster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez).

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. 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. 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.

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. 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.