Pennovation Works to Host Qualcomm Research Lab
Engineering lab to be first Pennsylvania location for Fortune 500 company; serving as one of its global hubs.
Media Contact: Jennifer Rizzi, Director, Communications, Facilities & Real Estate Services, 215.573.6107, rizzi@upenn.edu
October 17, 2016
The University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services announced today that a 10,000 square foot lab, Qualcomm Research Philadelphia, is being constructed for San Diego-based Qualcomm Incorporated at the University’s Pennovation Works, a 23-acre business and technology precinct adjacent to its campus.
Qualcomm, a world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies signed a five-year lease to locate engineers and business strategists in a new state-of-the-art facility at Pennovation Works. This new site adds Philadelphia to its list of ten global Qualcomm Research locations.
Qualcomm Research Philadelphia at the Pennovation Works expands an engagement begun in 2015 with the company’s acquisition of KMel Robotics. Founded in 2011 by Penn alumni Alex Kushleyev and Daniel Mellinger, KMel developed experimental robotics in the form of quadrotors – small robots with four different propellers each spinning at different speeds. Qualcomm Research Philadelphia extends the work begun by Kushleyev and Mellinger, who will be on site, such as hardware design, high performance control, and complete systems capable of autonomous operation.
"Qualcomm Research Philadelphia is a hub for robotics research and development and I am very excited about this new location for our team at Pennovation Works,” said Matt Grob, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “They work closely with other organizations within Qualcomm developing and integrating our wide range of world-class technology into the robotics domain and this new facility provides a wonderful environment for that research.”
"The KMel story exemplifies the talent and the technology innovation at Penn Engineering,” said Vijay Kumar, PhD, Nemirovsky Family Dean, Penn Engineering. “We are delighted to be partnering with Qualcomm as we develop cutting-edge technologies in autonomy and robotics at Pennovation Works.”
Construction began this month on the Qualcomm Research Philadelphia facility which includes high bay ceilings for indoor aerial robotics, robotic engineering labs, and office space. Completion of the custom-designed space for Qualcomm is slated for spring 2017, and it will adjoin the Pennovation Center, the University’s 58,000 sq. ft. laboratory, technology, business incubator, and coworking space.
“The presence of Qualcomm Research’s new location at Pennovation Works is emblematic of the type of economic development we hope to participate in for the greater Philadelphia region. Not only will we see new jobs resulting from this move, but also a boost to the profile of Philadelphia as a technology center,” said Anne Papageorge, Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services at Penn.
About Pennovation Works
The University of Pennsylvania’s Pennovation Works is a 23-acre development adjacent to the University campus on the southern bank of the Schuylkill River providing facilities and amenities to bridge intellectual and entrepreneurial initiatives among University researchers, private sector innovators, and start-ups. Owned by the University, and operated by its Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services, Pennovation Works houses research labs from Penn’s schools of Veterinary Medicine, Dental Medicine, and Design, and start-up companies such as Netronix and Novapeutics. The Pennovation Center, opened in September 2016, is a 58,000 square-foot three-story facility designed for start-up companies, entrepreneurs, and inventors looking to be part of a unique community of innovators, and includes a full service technology incubator; biotechnology laboratories; private offices, Inventor Garages, as well as a coworking space for up to 200 members, operated by Benjamin’s Desk.
Visit pennovation.upenn.edu and follow Pennovation Works on Facebook, @Pennovation on Twitter, and @pennovationctr on Instagram.
Learn more about the company at their website and follow them on Twitter or etc.
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Note to Editors: Qualcomm Research is a division of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
