Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship (QIF)

Applications are submitted as two-person teams proposing an original technical research idea in areas relevant to Qualcomm's wireless, mobile, AI, and connected-computing technology roadmap. At least one team member typically must be from an Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or closely related department, and both members must be enrolled full-time in a qualifying degree program for the entire academic year the fellowship covers.

Qualcomm's engineers review the roughly 300-400 proposals submitted each year, and finalist teams present in person (or virtually) to a panel of Qualcomm Technologies executive judges. Winning teams receive a one-year fellowship award and are paired with Qualcomm engineers who mentor them through the research year, providing direct exposure to how a major semiconductor and wireless technology company evaluates and develops early-stage research ideas.

Since QIF operates on a preselected-university model, a student's realistic path to eligibility runs through being enrolled at one of the named participating institutions in a qualifying region rather than through a general open call - so Pakistani or other international students should check whether their specific university (wherever it is located) currently appears on Qualcomm's regional participant list before planning a proposal around this fellowship.