Committed to fostering “in demand skill for an on demand world”, IBM in collaboration with its business partners today announced “The Great Mind Challenge 2007.” A pioneer programme under the company’s Academic Initiative program, the challenge provides a unique opportunity for student programmers to develop innovative solutions using open standards-based IT tools under grueling real time situations. The program will begin in June and will continue through the end of this year. The participating students will also get an equal opportunity to work on real-world projects and will be recognized for the same by IBM in the form of a ‘Certificate of Completion’ for all the completed and submitted projects.

Launching The Great Mind Challenge 2007, Anil Menon, Vice President, Marketing and Software Group Systems, IBM India said’” The Great Mind Challenge is an initiative by the IBM's Academic Initiative -- a global model committed to drive evolving open standards-based IT skills. Under the initiative IBM partner closely with stakeholders to create an enabling environment by allowing free access to IBM software, discounted hardware, course materials, training and curriculum development, helping India become an innovators’ nation by investing in skills development and technology enablement, empowering future workers with the right skills to be able to compete in the larger global workforce.”

The Great Mind Challenge demonstrates how IBM continuously collaborates with local governments and university students to create a repository of innovative solutions that are subsequently available free to society. The top 20 projects will be put on the Internet to be used without charge by end users and IBM Business Partners.

For students working on these projects IBM Academic Initiative will provide remote support by engaging IBM executives to ­mentor students through virtual discussion forums, program portal and eMails. IBM eMentors will work with students regularly throughout the program to help them experience the benefits of collaboration, solving business problems in real-time, and learning and writing the software which will help them work better in the professional world in the future.

The Great Mind Challenge is also an opportunity for students, faculties and institutions to win rewards and recognition at the National level based on the quality of projects they submit. Furthermore, the IT industry will be able to recruit students, now with real-world project experience through a separate job portal which will be available to the program participants, who have completed their projects, to post their resumes.

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