I-Corps Reimbursement Guidelines

General Guidelines 

The $3,000 Mini-Grant is provided in the form of reimbursement to individuals. This means an individual, not a business entity, must incur covered expenses to be eligible for reimbursement. Most commonly, a team member will charge eligible expenses to a credit card and receive a receipt they can later submit for reimbursement.

The main purpose of the $3,000 Mini-Grant is to assist in Customer Discovery efforts. While costs associated with prototyping are an Allowable Expense (please see below for more specific guidelines and rules,) there are two main rules teams must follow when it comes to prototyping:

  • Teams must complete 30 Customer Discovery Interviews before spending money on prototyping – The goal should always be to learn the pain points of the market before creating a prototype. Remember, how can you create a meaningful solution without understanding the scope of the problem or need?
  • A maximum of $1500 of the $3000 Mini-Grant (50%) can be spent on prototyping of any kind (Physical + Virtual) – If you spend more than $1500 on prototyping only the first $1500 is eligible for reimbursement.

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic the National Science Foundation has updated their guidance, allowing teams to spend money on new forms of Virtual Customer Discover in addition to more traditional means.

Quick Note: For every Allowable Expense charge (other than meals or mileage reimbursement) you must keep all receipts to be reimbursed.

Allowable Expenses

  • Virtual Customer Discovery
    • LinkedIn Premium:
      • Mini-Grant can cover LinkedIn Premium subscription for a period of one year for one or more team members
    • Virtual Trade Shows or Conferences:
      • Mini-Grant can cover registration fees required to attend virtual conferences or trade shows
      • Please Note: Event MUST have some sort of networking component to it (allowing you as an attendee to meet one-on-one with potential customers or industry experts)
    • Society Memberships:
      • Mini-Grant can cover the cost of relevant society memberships for a period of one year for one or more team members
      • Please Note: This membership must assist in the Customer Discovery process – For example, perhaps being a member gives you the ability to virtually meet with other members who may be potential customers, or are industry experts
  • In-Person Customer Discovery
    • Trade Shows or Conferences:
      • Mini-Grant can cover registration fees required to attend conferences or trade shows as well as allowable travel expenses to attend the event.
      • Travel expenses such as mileage reimbursement, airfare, parking, lodging and per diem (meals) in conformance with Penn State travel policy (see Travel Reimbursement section for details on reimbursement limits and required documentation)
      • Please Note: Just like a virtual event, the in-person event MUST have some sort of networking component to it (allowing you as an attendee to meet one-on-one with potential customers or industry experts)
    • Travel to Perform Customer Discovery
      • Travel expenses such as mileage reimbursement, airfare, parking, lodging and per diem (meals) in conformance with Penn State travel policy (see Travel Reimbursement section for details on reimbursement limits and required documentation)
  • Prototype Development
    • Physical Prototyping
      • Equipment and parts required to build a physical prototype
      • Cost of machine rental or use associated with building a physical prototype (3D Printer, CNC, Waterjet, etc.)
      • Lab reagents and supplies associated with building or testing a physical prototype
    • Digital Prototyping
      • Specialized software (Ex: Ansys Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation Software)
      • Sandbox platforms required to test an idea (Ex: Amazon Web Services)
      • Web hosting fees for a period of one year

Unallowable Expenses

  • International Travel
  • Office Equipment / Consumer Electronics:
    • Desktop / Laptop Computers
    • iPads / Tablets
    • Smartwatches
    • Phones
    • Printers
    • Office Furnishings
  • Common Software (Office 365 / iCloud)
  • Compensation for team members, advisors, or mentors
  • Incentives for customers to meet with you including food, alcohol, gift cards, or giveaways
  • Paying for professional services including:
    • Legal services
    • Intellectual Property services
    • Accounting services
    • Marketing services
    • Lead-generation services
    • Web site design services
  • Product Inventory
  • Branded items including but not limited to signs, posters, and business cards
  • Applications or subscriptions for advertising or customer relationship programs including:
    • MailChimp
    • Salesforce
    • Taboola
    • Google AdWords
  • Certain Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services per 2 CFR § 200.216 and 2 CFR § 200.340
    • Telecommunications equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities)
    • Video surveillance and telecommunications equipment produced or services provided by Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities)

Remember, if you are unsure whether an expense will be Allowable or Unallowable please email us at icorps@psu.edu and we will be happy to help. It is always better to check with us than incur an expense only to find out later it is Non-Allowable 

The Reimbursement Process

Once an individual has incurred expenses that are Allowable, they may file for reimbursement. We recommend that teams incurring multiple Allowable Expenses wait until all related expenses are incurred, as this saves time and effort when filing for reimbursement. We can process multiple reimbursement requests for individuals throughout the performance of their award. 

When submitting items for reimbursement, you will need to obtain a receipt for ALL expenses as identified in the Reimbursement Instructions. 

The guidelines below represent the common rules that will apply to your reimbursement request.   The full Penn State Travel Policy can be found at: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/tr02.  

Reimbursement Instructions

When filing for reimbursement as a non-employee you shall submit the following to: Derek Gross, Program Manager, icorps@psu.edu 

  • Travel Expenses – Transportation must be arranged at the least possible cost to meet the business purpose of the trip.  The choice of flying verses driving is influenced by distance, time, cost and the traveler’s preference.  PSU employees are encouraged to use Anthony Travel or SAP Concur, but may book through another vendor if it is cheaper or better meets your travel needs. Please document why you chose another vendor and provide a cost comparison when applicable.  The full Penn State Travel Policy can be found at: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/tr02  
    • Use the applicable form depending on your employment status with Penn State. 
    • Documentation for which the traveler is requesting reimbursement including but not necessarily limited to: 
      • Conference/Trade Show– provide a copy of the Agenda if applicable 
      • Airfare– Itinerary and receipt–  If travel was not booked through Anthony Travel or SAP Concur, submit a price comparison showing that cost of airfare at the lowest available commercial economy fare that meets the business purpose of the trip. 
      • Bag Check Fees– these are eligible for reimbursement with receipt 
      • Lodging– must not exceed the single occupancy rate unless two or more people are staying in the same room.  Receipt must state the amount charged, date, name and location of establishment, and explanation of the charge.  It is recommended that you book directly with the hotel since third party/ travel agencies may not provide an itemized receipt 
      • Meals do not require receipts.  You will be reimbursed according to the Per Diem schedule and guidelines stated in the Non-Employee Travel Reimbursement Form.  You may not request reimbursement for meals that were provided to you. 
      • Taxis and Shuttles– receipts for ground transportation such as taxis, uber, train, etc. and provide the business purpose for the transportation 
      • Parking– receipts are required for reimbursement 
      • Tolls– eligible for reimbursement, receipts are not required, but additional information regarding the toll may be requested. 
      • Mileage Reimbursement– include a detailed mileage log in a word document or spreadsheet for each trip that includes the following for each trip: 
        • Date of Travel 
        • Origin 
        • Destination 
        • Number of miles (reimbursed at the IRS Standard Mileage Rate for Business Purposes- $.575/mile in 2020) 
        • Purpose of trip 

If total roundtrip mileage is more than 750 miles, a flight comparison is needed to show mileage cost is cheaper than airfare and justification is needed to explain why driving was needed verses flying.  You will only be reimbursed up to the estimated cost for airfare. 

You may rent a car from an approved dealer. Fuel may be reimbursed for rental cars only.  For Employees traveling from University Park, use Penn State Fleet Services.  Send an email with your request to icorps@psu.edu and we will process your fleet reservation.   

  • Non-Travel Expenses (Goods & Services) 
    • Non-employees– provide a completed Non-Employee Information form – https://guru.psu.edu/Forms/non-employee-Information-form.pdf.  Employees should not complete this form. 
    • A word document or spreadsheet that lists items purchased with the following information for each item 
      • Vendor Name 
      • Item Purchased 
      • Date Purchased 
      • Cost 
      • Purpose / Justification for item purchased 
      • Detailed invoice/receipt for each item purchased 

If after reading this section you have any questions on filing for reimbursement please email the team at icorps@psu.edu and we will be happy to assist you.  The guidelines outlined above represent the most applicable policies that will apply for your reimbursements.

Return to Landing Page