Group Survey (Revised)

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Welcome!
Welcome to the Convergence Accelerator!
Participation in this survey helps the Convergence Accelerator adapt to your team's needs and evaluate our
progress as a program. This will help us improve, and in turn help every team we serve. Your participation and
responses will not be attributed to you without prior consent, and will not influence any current or future funding
award decisions made by NSF. Your participation is also entirely voluntary. We are still very grateful for your help.
You can skip a question if you don't know the answer, but please try to answer everything you can!
Thank you! We value your time and appreciate your participation!!
OMB Control No. 3145-XXXX

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Team
1. What is your team's number? Ex: A123, X456

2. How many people are currently working on your Convergence Accelerator project, at least
half time?

3. How many students or post-docs are currently involved with the project?

4. On average, how long have the team's PIs and Co-PIs been working together closely?
Ten years or longer
Five to nine years
One to five years
Six months to a year
Less than six months

5. Does the team currently have a full-time project manager?
Yes, we currently have one
No, but we're actively working to hire one
No, but we'd like to hire one soon
No, and we don't intend to hire one soon

6. Is your team primarily in one place, or primarily distributed?
Entirely in one place
Mostly in one place
Mostly in different places
Entirely in different places

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Project
7. Approximately how many years old is your project? (We know this can be a difficult
question! By "project" we mean the solution that you are developing now, but not the basic
research that came before the idea for that solution.)

8. Which of these options best describes the current state of your project?
1. Basic principles considered
2. Technology concept formulated
3. Experimental proof of concept
4. Technology validated in lab-like environment
5. Technology validated in relevant environment
6. Technology demonstrated in relevant environment
7. System model or prototype demonstration in operational environment
8. System complete and qualified for use
9. Actual system proven in operational environment

9. How much would you agree that you have a fully completed business plan / sustainability
plan? We have no expectation that you do have such a thing -- we simply want to know your
current situation.
Completely agree
Somewhat agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Somewhat disagree
Completely disagree

10. How much would you agree that you have a written and agreed upon contract, licensing
materials, or other documents, specifying who controls your (possibly future) intellectual
property (IP) / stock / organizational ownership? We have no expectation that you do have
such a thing -- we simply want to know your current situation.
Completely agree
Somewhat agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Somewhat disagree
Completely disagree

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Users and Stakeholders
11. Please describe who your intended users are (to the best of your current knowledge).
These are the people who actually use the solution you're developing, not those are only
affected by it.

12. Approximately how many interviews has your team completed with people who will use
the solution themselves? For example, if you are developing a curriculum, these are the
teachers. (We do not expect you have done any, but want to know if you have!)

13. In your current thinking, are there people who do not use your solution, but are
still directly affected by it? For example, if you are developing a curriculum, these are the
students. We refer to them as stakeholders.
Yes
No
Not sure

14. IF YOU ANSWERED YES, approximately many interviews has your team completed with
stakeholders? (For example, if you are developing a curriculum, these are the students.) If
you answered NO or NOT SURE, you can skip this question

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Partnerships
15. What are your goals for partnerships during Phase 1 (approximately the next year)?

16. What kinds of partners does your team currently have? You can choose several, if
applicable.
Academic
Industry
Non-profit
Government
Community
Funders / Investors
Other (please specify)

17. What kinds of partners does your team currently need most? You can choose several, if
applicable.
Academic
Industry
Non-profit
Government
Community
Funders / Investors
Other (please specify)

18. What are some ways you hope the Convergence Accelerator will support you in your
partnership goals? Please provide all the details you think would be helpful for us to support
you.

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Impact and Outcomes
19. Three years from now, approximately how many people do you estimate will be
direct users of your solution?
10s
100s
1,000s (thousands)
10,000s
100,000s
1,000,000 (millions)
1,000,000,000 (billions)
I have no idea

20. Three years from now, approximately how many people do you estimate will be directly
affected by your solution?
10s
100s
1,000s (thousands)
10,000s
100,000s
1,000,000 (millions)
1,000,000,000 (billions)
I have no idea

21. If any, how many papers have you submitted for a publication or conference that are
directly related to your Convergence Accelerator project?

22. If any, how many patents, invention disclosures, or other forms of IP have you applied for
that are directly related to your Convergence Accelerator project?

23. If any, how many partners do you have for your Convergence Accelerator project?

24. If any, how many investors / financial contributors do you have for your Convergence
Accelerator project (that are not the Convergence Accelerator itself)?

25. If any, approximately how many users do you currently have? (We do not expect you to
have any, but want to know if you do!)

NSF's Convergence Accelerator Group Entrance Survey (Revised)
Ecosystem
26. By “convergence”, we mean a project that deeply integrates diverse expertise, sectors,
and disciplines. Using this definition, where would you say you are right now?
Extremely convergent
Very convergent
Somewhat convergent
Slightly convergent
Not at all convergent (yet)

27. As part of a new, growing, and complex space, we want to know where we fit into the
innovation ecosystem. Were you considering other similar programs, when applying to the
Convergence Accelerator?
Yes
No

28. If Yes, which ones?

29. How good of a "fit" did the Convergence Accelerator seem for your project, relative to
other funding opportunities, and why?

30. We would like as many teams as possible to be able to apply to the Convergence
Accelerator; did you encounter any particular barriers to application, or a lack of awareness
of the program, that we could improve?

31. What is your team most excited about, in the Convergence Accelerator program?

32. What is your team most worried, or concerned about, in the Convergence Accelerator
program?

33. What is your team most confused about, in the Convergence Accelerator program?

34. Do you have any additional questions, concerns, or comments at this stage?

That's the end of the survey -- thank you so much for your time and contribution!