Er3+ ions doped transparent composite containing In2O3 QDs was successfully prepared by a melt-quenching route. Intense Er3+-related near-infrared (NIR) emission around 1534 nm, important for optic telecommunication systems, was observed in the obtained composite. Impressively, the Er3+-related NIR emission was enhanced by 9 times with respect to the one without In203 content by optimal QDs size. Quantitative studies of steady-state and transient emission spectral data demonstrated that In2O3 QDs acted as sensitizers for the Er3+ emission. Furthermore, the influence of QDs size and Er3+ concentration on the sensitization efficiency was investigated in detailed. These results indicated that the obtained Er3+ ions doped composite containing In2O3 QDs could be a promising material for high-performance fiber amplifiers using broadband UV pumping. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.