Syracuse University Offers Free NSF I-Corps Course in Semiconductors, Microelectronics and Advanced Materials this Fall
University researchers with groundbreaking ideas in semiconductors, microelectronics or advanced materials are invited to apply for an entrepreneurship-focused hybrid course offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program through Syracuse University this fall. The virtual course, which runs through September and October, includes an opportunity for an in-person immersion experience at SEMICON West, North America’s premier microelectronics conference, in San Francisco in October.
Interested working individual researcher and innovators can apply here by August 26.
The course provides hands-on entrepreneurship training and one-on-one coaching tailored to researchers working in far-reaching sectors that are critical to the next generation of semiconductor innovation. Successful applicants will be researchers working on solutions to enhance the performance and efficiency of electronic devices with applications to semiconductors across industries including big chip fabrication projects, consumer electronics, automotive, telecommunications, healthcare, artificial intelligence hardware and high-power materials. Applications might range from 3D integrated circuits, system-on-chip integration and computing chips for tasks like pattern recognition, learning and sensory processing. Big data and machine learning innovations are also of interest, as well as conventional semiconductor design and manufacturing applications. The course benefits anyone interested in being part of the research, design, commercialization and supply chain associated with these industries.
Offered jointly by Syracuse University and Cornell University as part of the Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps), this NSF-sponsored course is open to faculty, postdocs, Ph.D. and master’s students, undergraduates and community-based startups working on semiconductor-related technologies with commercial potential.
Syracuse’s NSF I-Corps program is a partnership between the Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering at Syracuse University, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Syracuse University Libraries.
The course opens for pre-course work on Monday, September 21, 2026, and will follow this schedule:
Virtual:
Session 1: Monday, September 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Session 2a: Wednesday, September 30 (individual mentoring sessions)
Session 2b: Friday, October 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Session 3: Wednesday, October 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Session 4: Wednesday, October 7 (individual mentoring sessions)
In-person at SEMICON West in San Francisco, CA:
Tuesday, October 13 through Thursday, October 15
Virtual wrap-up:
Session 6: Wednesday, October 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Teams selected to participate may receive up to $5,000 in travel reimbursement, enabling participants to conduct in-person customer discovery interviews and attend specialized workshops during SEMICON West. Participation in this conference provides unmatched exposure to global industry leaders, cutting-edge technologies and potential collaborators or customers. Conference attendees include executives, engineers, startups and policy leaders shaping the future of chips.
Participants who complete regional courses may be eligible to receive lineage and a letter of recommendation for the NSF I-Corps Teams national program which includes a $50K grant).
About NSF I-Corps and Syracuse University
The NSF I-Corps program helps researchers explore the commercial potential of scientific breakthroughs. The Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps) is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and led by Cornell University, in partnership with Syracuse University, Dartmouth College, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Vermont and West Virginia University.
Learn more about courses here: https://www.in-icorps.org/regional-courses/ and https://www.in-icorps.org/event-list/.
For questions about this SEMICON course, contact: Linda Dickerson Hartsock, advisor for strategic initiatives, Syracuse University Libraries: Ldhart01@syr.edu