UBC and wireless leader Qualcomm announce 10-year innovation partnership

UBC has entered into a ten-year innovation partnership with global wireless device semiconductor company Qualcomm. The partnership, spearheaded by UBC professor Panos Nasiopoulos, lays out pre-defined terms under which Qualcomm can sponsor multiple research projects at UBC.

"We’re delighted to have signed this agreement with UBC and have them as a portfolio partner in our intellectual property investment program," says Qualcomm’s VP of Business IP Strategy Jan Lezny. 

"Funding research in emerging technology areas with UBC's multidisciplinary research expertise underscores our commitment to the importance of innovation."

The master agreement, negotiated by UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office, provides immediate support for projects already underway at UBC.

"Our collaboration with Qualcomm will give UBC researchers the opportunity to work closely with a global leader in wireless technologies," says Nasiopoulos, director of UBC’s Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS).

"This agreement was made possible by ICICS' distinct role as a cross-faculty institute at UBC, which enables us to promote and manage multi-faculty research initiatives sponsored by industry that add significant value both to the university and Canadian society."

This partnership is the latest in a growing list of pre-negotiated master agreements between UBC and companies in the automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical and other sectors.

Through 1,200 industry partnerships each year with local, national and international companies, UBC researchers contribute to Canada's innovation performance, and in return gain exposure to real-world issues and problems that create valuable research and learning opportunities for faculty and students.