Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship India supports student teams pursuing technical research at 16 participating Indian institutes. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. runs the annual competition and selects at least 12 winning teams.
Each team develops a one-year research proposal under faculty supervision at its home institute. Finalists present online to a Qualcomm judging panel, and winners receive institutional project funding plus research mentorship.
Benefits & funding
- Each winning team’s institute receives INR 10,00,000 for conference travel and research expenses during the 2026–2027 academic year.
- Qualcomm assigns one or more mentors and offers regular interaction with its researchers.
- Qualcomm may arrange travel to a sponsor facility for selected program events.
- In April or May 2027, winning teams may present results and follow-on plans; at least one team may receive an INR 10,00,000 renewal for the following academic year.
Eligibility
- Entrants must be full-time students at one of these participating institutes for the entire 2026–2027 academic year: IIT BHU; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; IIT Bombay; IIT Delhi; IIT Guwahati; IIT Hyderabad; IIT Kanpur; IIT Kharagpur; IIT Madras; IIT Roorkee; IIIT Hyderabad; Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata; IIIT Delhi; IIT Indore; IIT Gandhinagar; or IIT Jodhpur.
- A team may have up to two students. At least one must be enrolled in a Master’s, qualifying dual-degree, or PhD program in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related department throughout the academic year.
- An optional second student may be a final-year undergraduate enrolled throughout 2026–2027. A dual-degree entrant must have completed Bachelor’s degree requirements by the end of 2025–2026.
- Postdoctoral fellows and project staff are not eligible. Students expecting to graduate before the end of the fellowship academic year are not eligible.
- Each team must have a mandatory full-time primary faculty advisor from the same institute; the rules also permit an optional secondary advisor from that institute.
- The official rules state no nationality, residency, age, gender, or work-experience requirement.
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Education required
Bachelor Enrolled · Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled
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Application process
- 1Form a team that meets the student and faculty-advisor requirements.
- 2Prepare a three-page innovation proposal, with an optional fourth page for references, covering the problem, innovation, prior art, and one-year plan.
- 3Collect faculty recommendation letters, each student’s CV, the signed official-rules agreement, student FCPA forms, and the university FCPA form.
- 4Place the required documents in a ZIP file and submit it through the official online portal before the deadline.
- 5If selected as a finalist, present the proposal online to the judging panel.
Program timeline
Online submission portal began accepting applications.
March 13, 2026
Application deadline.
April 20, 2026 at 10:00 India time
Finalist teams invited to online presentations.
July 2026
After finalist presentations
Winners announced on the program website and notified by email.
Funded research and mentorship period.
2026–2027 academic year
Project review and possible funding renewal.
April or May 2027