Department of Engineering Science

Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, has provided funding of £330,000 to establish four scholarships aimed at supporting top Master of Science (MSc) graduates of the University of Oxford's Biomedical Engineering (BME) programme as they continue into their doctoral studies.

"Biomedical engineering is an emerging discipline promising exciting advancements in clinical and medical sciences that will ultimately enhance health care for us all," said John Caterer, Managing Director of Qualcomm UK. "By establishing these scholarships in collaboration with the University of Oxford, Qualcomm is contributing very directly to the betterment of society."

"Qualcomm's generous gift will not only enable four of the most highly rated graduates of our programme to continue their studies, but it also has the potential to make a major contribution to unmet clinical needs worldwide," said Dr. J. Frederick Cornhill, Founding Director of the Oxford Institute of Biomedical Engineering.

The four scholarships will provide support for the students' entire doctoral programmes (usually 42 months) and will be awarded to the two most highly ranked students in the BME MSc programme by an internal academic committee at the University of Oxford. The first two scholarships will be awarded in June 2009, enabling students to begin their DPhil studies in October 2009. The second two scholarships will be awarded in June 2010 with studies beginning in October 2010.

"Oxford University is enormously grateful for the donation from Qualcomm," said Dr. John Hood, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. "The University of Oxford has a long history of excellence in biomedical engineering and education and these new scholarships will help us in the core activity of training the next generation of biomedical engineers."