The University of British Columbia has entered into a ten-year partnership with global semiconductor company Qualcomm, Inc.
The partnership, spearheaded by Dr. Panos Nasiopoulos, Director of UBC’s Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS), will see Qualcomm and UBC researchers collaborate on projects related to the Internet of Things.
This relationship is enabled by a master agreement between UBC and Qualcomm that was negotiated by UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office. The agreement constitutes pre-defined terms under which Qualcomm may sponsor multiple research projects at UBC over the next ten years.
"We are delighted to have signed this agreement with UBC and have them as a portfolio partner in our IP 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 Qualcomm agreement provides immediate support for projects currently underway at ICICS.
"Our collaboration with Qualcomm," adds Nasiopoulos, "will give UBC researchers the opportunity to work closely with a global leader in wireless technologies. 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." The first project in the laboratory of professor John Madden in the department of electrical and computer engineering have led to multiple inventions. Dr. Madden’s lab is focused on developing new nanomaterials to improve energy sustainability and devices for patient care. The research with Qualcomm targets new sensor development in the fields of consumer electronics and medical devices.
This partnership is the latest in a growing list of master agreements between UBC and companies in the automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical and other sectors. By pre-negotiating terms that are beneficial to both parties, individual research projects between the partners can progress very quickly and easily. Through more than 1,000 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.