The Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship North America supports teams of PhD students pursuing innovative technical research. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. sponsors the program, selects teams through proposal review and finalist presentations, and pairs winners with Qualcomm researchers as mentors.
The 2026 competition named 16 winning teams. Fellows carry out a one-year research plan through their universities during the Fall 2026–Spring 2027 academic year; the program does not require relocation, although finalist or award events may be virtual or in person.
Benefits & funding
- USD 50,000 is awarded for each winning student to that student’s university academic department, rather than paid directly to the student; a two-student winning team therefore represents USD 100,000 in departmental awards.
- Award funds may support research expenses during the program year.
- Each winning team receives mentorship from Qualcomm researchers.
- Winners may be offered collaborative activities or internship opportunities with Qualcomm Research.
- If finalist presentations or an awards ceremony are held in person, Qualcomm arranges and pays eligible travel expenses under its travel policy.
Eligibility
- A team must consist of two students, and both must be enrolled in a PhD program for the entire Fall 2026–Spring 2027 academic year.
- At least one team member must be in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related department.
- Both students must attend an eligible institution: Arizona State University; Carnegie Mellon University; Columbia University; Cornell University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; North Carolina State University; Princeton University; Purdue University; Rutgers University; Stanford University; UC Berkeley; UC Los Angeles; UC San Diego; UC Santa Barbara; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Michigan; University of Southern California; University of Texas at Austin; University of Toronto; University of Washington; University of Waterloo; University of Wisconsin–Madison; or Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
- Team members may attend different eligible universities.
- The official rules state no nationality, residency, age, gender, or work-experience requirement beyond the enrollment and team conditions above.
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Education required
PhD Enrolled
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Application process
- 1Form a two-person team that satisfies the PhD enrollment, department, and participating-university rules.
- 2Complete the registration materials on the North America program website, including the proposed-research abstract and required supporting materials.
- 3Submit the complete application through the method specified on the program website by the application deadline.
- 4If selected for the next phase, submit the detailed research proposal and answer any written clarification request within one week.
- 5Finalist teams present their proposed research to a Qualcomm judging panel; winners are announced after the presentations.
Program timeline
December 1, 2025
Application deadline for the 2026 cycle.
Finalist presentation event, held virtually or in person at Qualcomm’s discretion.
Spring 2026
After finalist presentations
Winners announced on the program website.
Fellowship program year and research period.
Fall 2026–Spring 2027