FIRST Announces Qualcomm’s Return as Presenting Sponsor of the 2016 Championship
Long List of Corporate Sponsors Support Life-Changing Championship Event
MANCHESTER, N.H., April 12, 2016 ― FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international not-for-profit K-12 organization founded to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, today announced that Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) will return as Presenting Sponsor for the 2016 FIRST Championship being held at various venues across St. Louis, April 27-30.
“Qualcomm‘s dedication to the FIRST mission continues to grow in exciting, impactful ways. Its long history of generous support, including three years as Presenting Sponsor of FIRST Championship, is proof of Qualcomm’s commitment to helping young people find pathways to successful futures,” said FIRST President, Donald E. Bossi. “We are grateful to organizations like Qualcomm and the rest of the FIRST Championship Sponsors for enabling us to deliver the life-changing event that is FIRST Championship to students around the world.”
This year, over 17,000 students will participate at the FIRST Championship. With the support of FIRST Sponsors, it promises participating teams and spectators alike an exciting, action-packed, once-in-a-lifetime experience that has all the heart-pounding thrills and team spirit of a professional sporting event.
“We strongly believe that programs like FIRST are essential for the future of innovation, as they make learning about STEM fields fun and engaging,” said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief technology officer Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The talent and ingenuity of the participants of FIRST Championship is very inspiring, and there’s no doubt that many of them will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s inventions.”
2016 FIRST Champion Program Sponsors include: The Boeing Company; BOSCH; Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD); FedEx Corporation; Google; IBM; Monsanto; NRG Energy; U.S. Air Force; United Technologies Corporation (UTC).
Other 2016 FIRST Championship Sponsors include: Abbott Fund; BAE Systems; Bechtel Corporation; Booz Allen Hamilton; The Coca-Cola Company; Comcast NBCUniversal; CSC Charitable Foundation; DaDaLeLe; Dice; The Dow Chemical Company; Edward Jones; General Electric Company; Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark; Microsoft Corporation; Mouser Electronics; Nidec Motor Corporation; NVIDIA Corporation; SpaceX; Southwest Airlines; St. Louis Regional Chamber; St. Louis Union Station Hotel; UL; Vulcan Spring & Mfg. Co.
The FIRST Championship, which is projected to bring in more than 40,000 spectators and students, has an estimated economic impact of $30 million to the St. Louis area. The city has hosted the Championship since 2011. The international event showcases student teams from FIRST Robotics Competition for students in grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge for grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League for grades 4-8; and FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. for grades K-3.
Save the date! The FIRST Championship will be held in:
Houston April 19-22, 2017 and St. Louis April 26-29, 2017 | Houston April 18-21, 2018 and Detroit April 25-28, 2018