HÀ NỘI — Twenty eight startups have been shortlisted for the 2026 Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge programme, an annual competition organised and funded by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.

They are in sectors like smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and drones, healthcare, and agri-tech.

They will receive programme grants, technical support, business coaching, intellectual property training, and patent incentives during an initial three-month incubation period.

Fifteen will advance to a further three-month acceleration phase, with additional support and patent-filing incentives, culminating in a final in August 2026 with five candidates and prizes worth US$255,000.

They were selected based on technical capability, product innovation, patent potential, and alignment with Việt Nam’s digital transformation and Industry 4.0 priorities.

Thiều Phương Nam, general director of Qualcomm Vietnam, said Việt Nam remains a strategic hub for innovation, with startups, SMEs, and research teams playing a central role in driving digital transformation and economic growth.

“With the 2026 Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge expanding from 10 to 28 teams, we are significantly scaling support for Việt Nam’s next generation of innovators.

“This year’s cohort brings exceptional strength in critical technology domains – including AI, robotics, data centre technologies, IoT, and smart city solutions, areas that will define Việt Nam’s future competitiveness.”

During incubation, participants will also receive business and technical guidance, access to Qualcomm Vietnam’s R&D laboratory in Hà Nội and engineering support.

Sudeepto Roy, vice president of engineering at Qualcomm Incorporated, said the cohort reflects a continuum of innovation, from university-led projects to industry-driven startups focused on real-world applications.

“These teams are moving beyond isolated AI models to end-to-end workflows and agentic AI systems that can sense, decide, and act under practical constraints. That shift demands disciplined engineering choices across edge compute, power, sensing, and inference efficiency.”

He added that Qualcomm aims to help startups translate advanced technologies into scalable platforms, where deep-tech innovation and intellectual property compound over a startup’s growth cycle.

The first, second and third prizes will be $100,000, $75,000 and $50,000, with two prizes of $15,000 each given for innovative research.

The annual contest was launched in 2019 with support from the Ministry of Science and Technology to foster the country’s technology ecosystem.

To date, participating startups have filed more than 150 patents. — VNS