Extension Sheep Specialist Whit Stewart took part in I-Corps with his team to
look at the supply chain of Wyoming wool. Photo by Lindsay Conley-Stewart
Published February 05, 2025
By Micaela Myers
The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Great Plains Hub helps teams commercialize their research.
Much of the research conducted at the University of Wyoming carries industry or commercial potential. Helping researchers understand early in the process what potential customers need and want can change the trajectory of these projects and lead to greater economic development. That’s why the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program invested $14 million in the Great Plains Hub, a five-year effort at nine regional universities to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs in rural economically underserved regions.
The program utilizes “lean innovation,” focusing on what potential customers need and want. Teams of three to five members — often including a faculty member, an entrepreneurial member and an industry mentor — sign up for the five-week course. They take virtual classes with their cohort and receive one-on-one mentoring. One of their main tasks is to interview 20 people within their industry who can share what they need and how a potential new product could address that need. Teams can then pivot based on customer feedback.
“It increases the odds of success for new startups,” says Stephen Hanlon, director of the UW Health and Bioscience Innovation Hub. “It’s very rewarding for an instructor to see teams get excited about entrepreneurship.”
Growing Wool
College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources Senior Project Coordinator Lindsay Conley-Stewart took part in the I-Corps program along with industry mentor Ben Hostetler of Mountain Meadow Wool in Buffalo, Extension Sheep Specialist Whit Stewart and then-graduate student Dylan Laverell. They were looking at how to address the end-to-end supply chain challenges in the U.S. wool industry.
“This is particularly relevant to Wyoming’s economy, as Wyoming produces the finest wool in the country,” she says. “We want to figure out how to increase the value of our Wyoming wool that leaves on the commodity market. It’s like pieces of gold leaving Wyoming. One of the ideas we had was looking at traceability — does it matter to people that this wool is from Wyoming?”
They also looked at whether larger-scale processing of wool in-state could keep more wool revenue in Wyoming.
“The I-Corps program was excellent, pushing us to engage in critical thinking and use radical candor and the Socratic method,” Conley-Stewart says. “We also held research interviews with industry experts.”
These steps helped them look at the issues holistically. They left with a better understanding of the challenges and the motivation to solve them. The team’s future plans include working with policymakers and investors.
“Participating in the NSF I-Corps program was instrumental in helping us identify the untapped potential for innovation within the wool industry,” Conley-Stewart says. “The program pushed us to think critically and deeply about the supply chain challenges, especially in Wyoming, and showed us how strategic collaboration can drive meaningful change. For the university, this is an important step in continuing to connect academic research with real-world industry needs, ensuring that our work not only supports Wyoming’s agricultural economy but also contributes to national conversations about sustainable wool production.”
Commercializing Coal
Stefan Holberg, associate research professional at the School of Energy Resources Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion, also took part in the I-Corps training with his team.
“Wyoming produces about 40 percent of U.S. coal, and it’s used less and less in power plants,” Holberg says. “We work on materials from coal that generate revenue without burning the coal. All products we develop, we also want to commercialize.” These products include building materials, such as coal-char-reinforced plastic decking boards.
The I-Corps program offered an excellent opportunity — one that pushed Holberg out of his comfort zone to conduct interviews with potential customers and taught him how to do so effectively. As a result, the team garnered valuable feedback on industry needs, including pricing and performance and what to test next in the researchers’ labs.
Holberg’s colleagues, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences Professor Kam Weng Ng and School of Energy Resources Research Scientist ChooiKim Lau, took part in the following cohort, also working on coal-based materials.
In addition to the training, teams may receive grants of up to $2,500 to further their commercialization research efforts. Email wyominginvents@uwyo.edu to learn more.