Corporate Philanthropy, CSR and Sponsorship
UCC and Qualcomm Ireland: A Legacy of Support
UCC is proud to have a long-standing and collaborative relationship with Qualcomm Ireland. In addition to philanthropic support, Qualcomm Ireland have been generous with their time, staff and expertise. Many of Qualcomm Ireland’s employees are alumni of University College Cork, with over 45 UCC Engineering graduates currently employed full-time at the company. The majority of Qualcomm’s Ireland management team are UCC graduates, who continue to drive teams at the Cork site to new levels of world class research and development.
Strategic leadership, innovative senior management and engineers, close ties with third level universities, welcoming highly educated and motivated graduates and interns, as well as an inclusive and diverse workforce and culture are the crux of what drives Qualcomm Ireland forward. As the well-known proverb, often quoted by Qualcomm Ireland VP of Engineering Paul Kelleher, says; “If you want to go fast – go alone. If you want to go far – go together.”
Qualcomm and Cork
Qualcomm Ireland has come a long way since it opened its doors in Mahon in 2013 with one Engineer. The Irish site for this American multinational semiconductor company started with a small IT department with the Engineering department joining two years later. From there, under the guidance of Paul Kelleher, Qualcomm Ireland VP of Engineering, the Mahon site was outgrown and relocated to its new Cork site. Today, over 400 Engineers are based in Qualcomm Ireland’s Cork Headquarters, which is home to 470 staff in total.
The company has helped to pave the way for other technological, communications companies to place offices in Cork and is committed to the Cork 2040 Rejuvenation plan, supported by the development of its new offices in Penrose Dock. The location itself is in the heart of a huge development area in Cork city and lends itself to the rejuvenation of Cork’s Old Victoria Quarter, centred around McCurtain Street. Qualcomm hopes to see these trends continue in a positive manner in the coming years, as their technological hub in Cork continues to grow.
The work carried out at the Cork facility is critical for Qualcomm Technologies (the main operating company of the Qualcomm group). The Cork team deliver Systems and IPs which are critical to the global organisation. At the Cork site, there is a great variety of projects happening across different teams. While staff are encouraged to work within their own teams, any employees who would like to work with or in other departments, are encouraged to do so. Retaining skills across the different areas and teams gives employees an opportunity to grow. This, in turn, allows the site to grow. As mentioned above, a reason the Cork office is particularly successful is its diverse workforce with various skillsets and perspectives. Working with leading edge technologies, the latest tools, methodologies, and workflows, Qualcomm’s Cork site is an ideal place for those who want to challenge themselves in creating solutions that will power the future.
Unlocking Talent
Qualcomm Ireland benefits from the stream of highly educated students coming through from UCC and other nearby Irish universities. At current, over 45 UCC Engineering graduates currently employed full-time at the company whilst the majority of Qualcomm’s Ireland management team are graduates of University College Cork.
This skilled talent pool allows Qualcomm Ireland to expand and take on even more inspiring graduates. Qualcomm Ireland is always looking for talent from across disciplines. In the past, engineers have been converted from one area of study or expertise to another which has worked very well. That range is needed; it helps employees think outside the box.
On-site, Qualcomm Technical Leads and Managers acknowledge that anyone can innovate and it’s how that innovation contributes to the end product that helps to grow the site. Qualcomm Ireland places a lot of emphasis on training, focusing on elements like soft skills, to help employees articulate their good idea, which may become their next innovation or invention.
Supporting Learning & Teaching
Two of Qualcomm’s Directors of Engineering, Dr Keith O’Donoghue and Dr Andriy Temko, contribute to teaching postgraduate programmes and co-supervising students in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) as Adjunct Senior Lecturer / Professors at UCC and APC Microbiome Ireland. Qualcomm staff have also provided their practical expertise by presenting, guest lecturing and teaching as part of UCC’s EE1007 module for 1st year Engineering students. Over the past three years, Qualcomm Ireland has also welcomed 26 UCC students as Interns.
"We are extremely grateful to Qualcomm for their continued support of our students, who benefit in a myriad of ways from their involvement. Our longstanding relationship with Qualcomm enhances and enriches the learning and teaching experience, giving students valuable industry insight that will prepare them for life after graduation"
Professor Sarah Culloty, Head, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science.
Philanthropy
Qualcomm has provided extremely appreciated and valuable financial philanthropic support in the form of unencumbered gifts to UCC. As a result of Qualcomm’s generosity, the university has been able to increase the pipeline of graduates from Electrical and Electronic Engineering from 17 students to 35 students per year. Globally, this course is highly regarded and there is huge demand for graduates. To date, Qualcomm Ireland has generously supported:
- Two laboratories - the Computer Aided Design (CAD) Lab and the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Lab.
- UCC’s award-winning EE1007 module. EE1007 saw a record number of over 200 robots built in the last three years.
- UCC Sanctuary Fellowships for two Ukrainian Professors of Engineering who now work in UCC’s Embedded Systems group continuing their excellent academic work.
- Essential laptops and large screens for students and staff. This equipment will be used for improved communication, delivering labs and lectures, and improving student experience.
- New kits for hands-on experiments (embedded platforms, electronic workbenches, etc.) which supported remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Student showcases such as CRT-AI (Centre for Research Training in Artificial Intelligence).
- Student societies such as Enactus UCC and Engineers Without Borders (EWB), as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) Student Branch.
- 50+ Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms for use in embedded systems applications as well as prizes for students.
- The First Lego League (Munster & Ireland) competition to engage secondary school students with STEM.
- 40+ laptops to aide UCC students and staff during the pandemic.
Since 2013, Qualcomm Ireland has also generously funded award-winning research by Dr Emanuel Popovici, Director of the Embedded Systems UCC group in UCC’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics. This funding has supported Dr Popovici’s impactful research in biomedical applications (brain and congenital heart disease stethoscope). This has led to leveraged funding for award-winning research in network security and IoT security using Machine Learning. Qualcomm Ireland has also benefitted from the collaboration with Dr Popovici and the Embedded Systems group. This access to, and collaboration with academia, has hugely influenced the growth and expertise we see both in our Cork workforce and further afield. Dr Popovici’s time and effort are very much appreciated by Qualcomm Ireland.
Enabling UCC Societies
Qualcomm Ireland has worked very well with UCC and others over the years to encourage a more diverse population to take an interest in STEM careers. One example was a recent initiative that saw a group of enterprising engineering students from UCC’s Enactus Society spearhead an initiative to donate laptops and equipment for use by students in direct provision. Enactus is a worldwide organisation for student entrepreneurs dedicated to making the world a better place. UCC’s Enactus Society founded the Ceangal project in 2019 to create opportunities for entrepreneurship for asylum seekers in direct provision centres in Ireland.
Dr Emanuel Popovici noted that “the laptops donated will provide a vital link for students to receive online tutoring which is made available through the Cork Migrant Centre, Nano Nagle Place”. Dr Popovici also emphasised the gratefulness in Embedded Systems UCC being part of such a wonderful project. The response from the equipment donation has been overwhelmingly positive.
An Impact on Industry & Outreach
Engineers in Qualcomm Ireland are passionate and enthusiastic about giving their time to events which will bring engineering to the forefront as an option for students. The Munster & Ireland First LEGO League is a unique engineering event overseen by staff from the School of Engineering and Architecture UCC and students from the Engineers without Borders Society.
Despite the challenges of Covid-19 in 2021/22, six teams of students from secondary schools around Munster presented their projects at the grand final of the FIRST Lego League in May 2022 at UCC.
Some exceptional engineering work in terms of robot design and programming, and solving the 'Cargo Connect' challenge, were displayed by the fantastic teams. Important core engineering skills, a research project and exceptional teamwork complemented a fun, engaging day filled with amazing prizes. Initiatives like this are where engineering and inventor seeds are sown, at base level in schools and universities.
"Qualcomm's support is what makes our great events possible. With the monetary sponsorship we receive for events such as our intervarsity and other entrepreneurship events, we can bring great minds together and learn about sustainable engineering practices in a fun and interactive way. The support of the Qualcomm engineers in events such as the First Lego League allows us to help shape the minds of future engineers and encourage young people to pursue STEM careers. We were delighted to be part of the FIRST Lego League. Inspiring future engineers and scientists is at the heart of EWBs mission as we strive to build a more sustainable future for all. Events such as this one allows young students to experience what it is like to be an engineer in a very enjoyable way."
Rose Delaney, UCC Engineering student and auditor of Engineers Without Borders society. Rose completed at Internship at Qualcomm’s Cork site in 2022, and will return for an additional Internship later this year.
Qualcomm has also supported joint UCC and industry initiatives such as the Future of Security Conference in 2018, the Future of Machine Learning Conference in 2019, and the Future of AI Conference in 2020.
Qualcomm and SFI-funded Centres
Qualcomm Ireland has sponsored several student events involving students from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics and other affiliate groups. Examples include sponsorship of the annual Irish Collegiate Programming Competition – a competition which is designed to test the combined knowledge of algorithms development, programming, and problem-solving abilities amongst students. Around 140 students typically attend the Irish Collegiate Programming Competition. In 2018, Qualcomm Ireland’s generosity saw their sponsorship extend to cover the entire event.
Qualcomm Ireland has also hosted multiple expo events with PhD students from the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, the Confirm SFI Research Centre for Smart Manufacturing, the CRT-AI and other unaffiliated graduate students from the School of Computer Science and Information Technology. These events usually involve technical talks by senior technical staff in Qualcomm and a poster session by the students. Qualcomm Ireland organised another student expo event in November 2022 at Hayfield Manor in Cork which attracted more than 150 graduate and MSc students. These events expose students to potential job and placement opportunities with Qualcomm – a CRT-AI PhD student is currently undertaking a six-month placement with the company. The School of Computer Science and Information Technology is grateful for all the student support received over the years from Qualcomm Ireland.
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American telecommunications company which produces semiconductors, software and wireless technology. Founded in 1985 by electronic engineer Irwin Jacobs, Qualcomm established innovative technology which used CDMA (code division multiple access) to harness wireless transmissions. This technology formed the basis for mobile phones and later, mobile broadband. Qualcomm has been instrumental in the development of 3G, 4G and 5G technology. In 2013, Qualcomm established a European base in Cork.