At the first India Service Science, Management, and Engineering - 2007 conference held in Bangalore, today, IBM (NYSE:  IBM) announced collaborative SSME curriculum initiatives with leading business and tech schools in India.  IBM, earlier this year, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian School of Business -Hyderabad   (ISB), and is working closely with Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, IITs and Indian Institute of Science to advance SSME research in the region.

Dr.  C  Mohan, IBM Fellow and Chief Scientist, IBM India, said, “The new academic initiative is designed to prepare graduate students for careers in the evolving  multi disciplinary field of services management.” In the 1950s, IBM made a similar effort to help establish computer science as a new academic discipline.

National Institute of Design (NID) and IBM will jointly study design phase of services across different industry verticals to develop services design jumpstart framework which will help to benefit IT service curriculum development.

SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai (SPJIMR) has partnered with IBM to study IT deployment services management model. The study results will help SPJIMR and IBM to develop a courseware in services design.

Nirma Institute of Management (NIM), Ahmedabad, has teamed with IBM to study managed deployment of eGovernance services. The study result is expected to provide guidance in managing the IT-based system deployment of eGovernment projects particularly in the area of citizen services and to contribute in developing a courseware on the eGovernance services.

"We clearly need to develop a more systematic approach to services innovation if we are to sustain this vital new sector in the economy," said Dr.  Guruduth Banavar, Associate Director, IBM India Research Laboratory, Bangalore.  "It is critical that we work with universities to create curricula that provide students entering the workforce with skills and training needed for growing our services business."

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