Dan Webster: “I thank the ranking member for yielding me time. I rise today to support and ask my House colleagues to pass H.R. 539…”

“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.…”