We maximize the return on investment for U.S. innovation.
USRIA is a diverse collective of forward-thinking experts committed to advancing technology entrepreneurship in deep-tech sectors. Through our immersive EIR-Corps program, we collaborate directly with high-impact, high-risk technology teams to accelerate sustainable commercial success.
Why EIR-Corps
In recent years, federal R&D spending surged to an all-time high of $204.9 billion, driving breakthroughs across sectors such as climate tech, clean energy, life sciences, materials, manufacturing, and AI.
As these innovations continue to emerge, the need for effective commercialization has become more pressing—yet there is a growing gap in the workforce capable of bringing these discoveries to market.
The traditional faculty-founder model, where inventors are expected to take on the complex role of commercializing their own research, is increasingly unsustainable for managing the immense scale of innovation today.
EIR-Corps is a new model focused on pairing academic inventors with fractional-to-full experts-in-residence.
Often, efforts to commercialize research innovations have not placed enough importance on one of the most difficult tasks – building a team skilled with the industry knowledge and experience required to successfully deploy a new technology. University tech transfer offices (TTOs) often encourage faculty members to initiate spin-offs on a part-time basis, which can mean an inability to access business talent or relevant industry networks.
EIR-Corps addresses this critical talent gap in the formation and early stages of commercialization by recruiting and subsidizing the work of experienced startup and industry experts to partner with deep-tech technologies. By matchmaking technical founders with seasoned leadership, entrepreneurs, industry executives, board advisors, and mentors, EIR-Corps catalyzes, accelerates, and enhances the potential for commercialization success.
Our mission: Accelerate the successful deployment of deep-tech technologies in rural and underserved regions.
The U.S. Research Impact Alliance (USRIA) is a West Virginia-based nonprofit dedicated to overcoming the challenges of commercializing high-impact, research-driven innovations. By leveraging extensive expertise in the federal laboratory R&D network, university technology transfer, deeptech industries, venture capital, and entrepreneurship, we are committed to driving greater impact through the commercialization of federally funded research.
Our Approach
We engage stakeholders across the innovation ecosystem to nuture transformation.
We address critical valleys of capital, talent, and networks by building and nurturing innovation ecosystems tailored to underserved areas starting in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the broader Appalachian region, and then expanding to the rest of the U.S.
We help establish and support consortiums that connect local inventors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to execute initiatives on key topics of industrial decarbonization, grid resiliency, and hydrogen economy.
Through programs like EIR-Corps, we support and equip tech entrepreneurs with the tools and insight to navigate formation, funding, and growth strategies to help bolster commercialization success.
Our mission is to support innovators and maximize the return on investment for U.S. innovation.
For Inventors and Startups
Learn about the assistance programs we offer. See if you could be a fit.
For Universities & Research Institutions
Struggling to achieve positive commercialization outcomes? Let’s chat.
Our Portfolio Companies
We’ve continued to expand our resource base in 2024
Thanks to government and university partners like the Economic Development Association (EDA), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Department of Energy (DOE), along with Carnegie Mellon University, West Virginia University, Marshall University, and the University of Pittsburgh, we’ve expanded our organization to be able to offer direct educational, advisory, and team resources.
