Innovative Research Team Receives National Recognition from NSF I-Corps Program

A University of Arizona research team advancing immersive simulation technology for healthcare training has received national recognition through the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, earning the Spirit of I-Corps award for their work in customer discovery and innovation development.

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Led by Winslow Burleson, professor in the College of Information Science, the team includes Gustavo de Oliveira Almeida, research laboratory manager and entrepreneurial lead, along with Steven Wood, mentor in residence at Tech Launch Arizona, who served as the team’s industry mentor.

The award was presented during their participation in the NSF I-Corps National program, an intensive entrepreneurial training initiative designed to help researchers translate scientific discoveries into real-world solutions. The seven-week program, which they went through in the fall of 2025, challenges teams to step outside the lab, test their assumptions, and conduct more than 100 interviews with potential customers and stakeholders. The Spirit of I-Corps award recognizes the team that best exemplifies the program’s core values, including hard work, discipline, intellectual honesty and a willingness to adapt based on customer feedback.

For Almeida, receiving the recognition was both unexpected and deeply meaningful.

“It was a surprise, but looking back, it makes sense,” Almeida said. “The award is not about who has the most advanced technology. It is about the team that truly embraces the process, listens to customers and is willing to change direction when the data tells you to.”

What Makes NSF I-Corps National Unique

The NSF I-Corps National program is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous entrepreneurial training experiences available to academic researchers. Only select teams are accepted, and each receives up to fifty thousand dollars in grant funding to support customer discovery efforts.

Participants commit a minimum of 15 hours per week, focusing on understanding market needs rather than refining technical features. A central requirement of the program is conducting at least 100 customer discovery interviews.

“The program is transformative,” Almeida said. “In a research environment, we are trained to solve technical problems. I-Corps forces you to shift your thinking. Technology alone is not enough. You must understand what customers actually need and what problems they are trying to solve.”

Through dozens of interviews with healthcare educators, simulation specialists, and training professionals, the team gained new clarity about the challenges facing modern healthcare training environments.
  

From Research Vision to Real-World Problem-Solving

Burleson’s research centers on human-computer interaction, learning sciences and immersive environments. His work on what has come to be known as “the Holodeck project” explores how integrated visual, auditory and physical systems can enhance training, collaboration and decision-making.

Originally envisioned as a next-generation simulation platform, the technology allows users to interact within highly immersive environments designed to replicate complex real-world scenarios.

“The beauty of I-Corps is that every problem you bring is just an assumption,” Burleson said. “The interviews help you understand where the real gaps are.”

Through the customer discovery process, the team identified a critical need in CPR and sudden cardiac arrest training. Interviews revealed a persistent mismatch between traditional mannequin-based training and real emergency response situations.

“We learned that reliability, usability and predictability matter more than cutting-edge features,” Almeida said. “Users are not necessarily scientists or engineers. They are instructors, operators and faculty. They need systems that work consistently and fit naturally into their workflows.”

This shift in understanding ultimately guided the team’s evolving innovation strategy.

A Demanding and Rewarding Experience

Wood, who has mentored more than 20 NSF I-Corps National teams, described the group as exceptionally motivated.

“My job as a mentor is to ensure teams stay on track and pull the right insights from the experience,” he said. “This team was impressive from the start. They were highly engaged, never fell behind on interviews and fully embraced the concepts.”

Wood’s experience helped prepare the team for the fast pace and demanding expectations of the program.

“Having someone who understands the process is invaluable,” Almeida said. “It allows the team to move forward with confidence.”

Lessons for Future Innovators

Reflecting on all he and Burleson learned, Almeida encourages other researchers to experience the I-Corps program.

“I would recommend it to anyone developing new technologies,” he said. “It gives you a completely new perspective. You learn to communicate your work in terms that everyday people can understand, not just technical experts.”

For Burleson, the program reinforced the broader mission of research-driven innovation.

“I-Corps provides the tools to move discoveries toward real-world application,” he said. “It equips teams with the mindset and skills needed to navigate commercialization.”

Looking Ahead

Following their participation in the NSF I-Corps National program, the team is continuing customer discovery efforts and pursuing additional research funding opportunities to further develop their innovation pathway on the way towards maximizing their impact through commercialization.

The Spirit of I-Corps recognition marks an important milestone in their journey from academic research to potential societal and economic impact.

Almeida and Burleson exemplify the University of Arizona’s growing culture of innovation, where interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking and research excellence converge.

The U of A is one of nine partner institutions that make up the NSF I-Corps Hub: Desert and Pacific Region. For information about the program, connect with Tech Launch Arizona, the unit of the Office for Research and Partnerships that commercializes inventions stemming from research and innovation.
  

Learn more about College of Information Science research and faculty.