Students from Celeveland State University visits Technopark

Trivandrum : June 24, 2009:


Thirteen students from Celeveland State University, Ohio, US, visited Technopark on 30th June 2009 as a part of their "Kerala Darshan". CEO Shri. Merin Alexander made a presentation about Technopark and answered their queries. The team went around various facilities in Technopark Campus.

Symposium on Security Awareness

Trivandrum : June 24, 2009:

Symposium on Security Awareness was held at Travancore on 24th June 2009. DGP Sri. Jacob Punnoose IPS delivered the keynote address. Smt Sheela Thomas, IAS, Secretary to the Chief Minister inaugurated the symbosium. Sri. M. Harisena Varma, IPS, Joint director, Central Intelligence Bureau, Smt. B. Sandhya IPS, IG Traffic, Sri T.K. Vinod Kumar DIG, Internal Security, spoke on the occasion.

District Collector reviews Land Acquisition activities

Trivandrum : June 19, 2009:


District Collector Mr. Sanjay Kaul, IAS, who is also the member of Technopark PIB reviewed Land Acquisition activities currently going on in Technopark in the meeting held at Technopark on 19th June 2009. All the revenue department and Technopark officials including CEO were present for the review.

Tata Elxsi set to get Auto SPICE accreditation

Trivandrum : June 18, 2009:


Tata Elxsi, a leading embedded product design engineering company, is planning to get Automotive SPICE accreditation by September 2009.

R. Natarajan, Vice President, automotive and aerospace practice and centre head of the Tata Elxsi's development centre at Technopark here, told reporters on Wednesday that such standardised assessments would become mandatory for suppliers in the automotive industry in future.

Automotive SPICE is a common framework for the assessment of suppliers in the automotive industry through the publication of the Process Assessment Model and Process Reference Model.

He said that the company had already joined the FlexRay Consortium in 2005 and AUTOSAR consortium in 2006. The FlexRay Consortium was formed to drive the adoption of the FlexRay communication system as the de facto industry standard for high-speed communication networks for automotive applications.

AUTOSAR (Automotive Open System Architecture) is an open and standardised automotive software architecture, jointly developed by automobile manufacturers, suppliers and tool developers.

As a premium member of the consortium, Tata Elxsi actively participates in body electronics and specification validation activities for AUTOSAR, Natarajan said.

"The oil crisis and the current recession have increased focus on fuel efficiency and hybrid technologies. Tata Elxsi is currently working for the realisation of a dream of viable hybrid cars by the end of 2010," he said.

The Thiruvananthapuram Development Centre, which started with 10 engineers in one k sq ft in Technopark, has grown into a company with 700 engineers operating in a space of 67.5 k sq ft.

The company has, in fact, recruited 150 freshers to the Thiruvananthapuram centre this year, he said.

At the all-India level, the company recruited 650-700 freshers last year. In fact, the company was one of the few companies which honoured all its commitments to graduates who had been shortlisted last year, Natarajan said.

He said that the company is also partnering in the development of a diesel engine management system for a luxury car manufacturer in Europe.

Toonz ties up with Ireland firm

Trivandrum : June 18, 2009:


Kerala-based animation content provider Toonz Animation India has tied up with Ireland's Telegael group to finance, develop and co-produce animation programmes for global distribution, the company said Thursday.

The two firms had earlier worked together to produce the popular Freefonix animation series for BBC, which is now being marketed internationally.

"We aim to mutually leverage our competencies in our core domains. To start with, we are looking at the production of a spate of television series with a combined investment of around $30 million," P. Jayakumar, Chief Executive of Toonz Animation, said in a release.

Telegael chief executive Paul Cummins welcomed the strategic partnership saying it "will enable us to exploit obvious synergies which exist between our two companies and enable us to produce world-class animation content for a global audience."

Toonz is part of the Geneva-based international business conglomerate Comcraft Group. Founded in 1999, Toonz's client list includes the biggest names in media and entertainment like Marvel, Hallmark, Paramount, Disney, BBC and Cartoon Network.

The company employs 500 professionals in its animation in Technopark here.

Technopark to launch mega IT complex

Trivandrum : June 9, 2009:



The Technopark here, which boasts of being the country's first technology park, has finalized plans to launch what park officials claim would be the single largest building complex in the country offering space for IT companies.

The 3-million sq ft building complex will come up on a 25-acre campus at the special economic zone plot adjacent to the existing Technopark campus near here. Technopark CEO Mervin Alexander said 18,000 IT professionals could operate from the complex.

Work on the building, to be completed in three phases, is scheduled to begin in September; and the first phase of construction involving 1 million sq ft is expected to be ready for occupation by July 2011. The first phase will also feature a car-parking facility that can accommodate 1,200 vehicles.

Technopark General Manager K V Rajendran said the first phase had an outlay of Rs 240 crore and that talks were on with a consortium of banks to tie up funding for the project. He said Technopark would also go for green certification for the block of buildings.

Technopark officials said the building, conceived by architect Hafeez Contractor in association with its consortium partner Iyer & Mahesh based here, would be an iconic building for Technopark.

Technopark presently has an electricity sub-station for power supply to the new campus and for the adjacent campuses of Infosys and UST Global, while other infrastructure needs including water supply, waste treatment and approach road from the highway are being readied.

Officials said Technopark was also developing the remaining land in the newly-acquired 92-acre Phase-III campus, which could be offered on lease to private developers.

Offshore Commissioning Solutions Commences Operations From Technopark

Trivandrum : June 9, 2009:



OCS Software & Engineering Solutions, a subsidiary of Offshore Commissioning Solutions, a global offshore engineering consultancy company providing the highest level of support in the offshore oil and gas spectra across the multi disciplines of electrical, mechanical and marine engineering through the full process of design construction, commissioning, acceptance and the final stage of operation acceptance commenced their operations from the Smart Business Centre at Thejaswini building in Technopark campus. The company with operations in Texas, USA, Abu Dhabi, Australia, Singapore, UK, Brazil and in India has a wide range of software and engineering solutions which will be developed in Technopark.

Mr Mervin Alexander, CEO of TECHNOPARK who signed the agreement today with OCS said that "TECHNOPARK is today one of key IT destinations in the country with global standard IT/ITES infrastructure and offers abundant high quality human resources and lower cost of operations with high quality of life. He also said that the Government of Kerala is very keen to attract global companies into the State and welcomed OCS Software into the Campus"

Mr John G Davies, General Manager(Technical), OCS thanked the TECHNOPARK team and said that this is the first step that OCS has taken and many big plans are on the anvil. Major clients of OCS include Transocean, Shell, Global Santafe, BP, Noble, Texaco, Saipem, Frontier Drilling, etc. and the TECHNOPARK Development Centre will provide the necessary software solutions to the parent company for its Project Management and Commissioning activities Globally.

Mervin Alexander joins Technopark, Trivandrum as CEO

Trivandrum : June 1, 2009:



Mr. Mervin Alexander, the newly appointed CEO of Technopark resumed office on June 01, 2009. Prior to joining Technopark he was holding the post of Director of Postal Services, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu region.

Mr. Mervin Alexander has taken over the charge from Mr. Siddhartha Bhattacharya who was Acting as the CEO of Technopark. Mr. Mervin Alexander was the Director of Postal Services (Coimbatore), Tamil Nadu Circle.

Mr. Mervin Alexander, who took charge of his new responsibility from June 1, 2009 belongs to the 1987 Indian Postal Service Batch and has held key roles in the Department of Posts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and New Delhi. He has also worked as Chief Vigilance Officer in Cochin Shipyard Ltd., & Cochin Port Trust and served as Consultant to the Asia Pacific Postal Training Centre, Bangkok in the past.

Mr. Mervin Alexander has to his credit several papers on Postal Management; Transparency in Administration, Vigilance Administration etc.and also played a key role in the post office computerization in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

A High Level Delegation from Tajikistan visited Technopark

Trivandrum : March 2, 2009:





A 11 member delegation of MPs from Tajikistan visited Technopark. The delegation was headed by Mr.Olim Salimove, Dy.Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, Social Affairs and Information, along with Mr.Solijonov Nodirjon, Ms. Hakimova Khaticha Fathulloevna, Mr. Hisoriev Mahmadamin Ismatovich, Mr.Okhunov Inomjon Nurmatovich, Mr. Salimov Abdujalol, Ms. Uzokova Zulfiya Anvarovna, Mr. Bobokalonov Abdujalil, Mr. Sadriddinov Badriddin Talbakovich, Mr. Kasim Mukhtarov and Ms.Yulia Berezka .

Mr. M.Vasudevan, Sr. Manager(Business Development) made a detailed presentation to the delegation. The idea behind the visit was to expose the delegation to see the IT facilities in Technopark. The delegation also visited the TCS global training centre and held discussions with Mr. Lalitha Prasad, Head, Brig. Suresh Nair, GM(Admin) & Ms. Brinda Rani Head-HR. The delegation also visited Toonz animation and had a studio tour.
 

The delegation members expressed their appreciation and wanted support from Technopark for creating similar facilities in Tajikistan.

Foundation stone laid for Kollam Technopark

Kollam : February 10, 2009:





The Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri V. S. Achuthanandan, laid the foundation stone for Technopark Kollam, the first district-level Technopark in the State in a function presided over by M.A Baby, Hon'ble Minister for Education. Shri K P Rajendran, Hon'ble Minister for Revenue,Shri Mathew T Thomas, Hon'ble Minister for Transport, Printing & Stationery,Shri Mons Joseph, Hon'ble Minister for Works,Shri P K Gurudasan, Hon'ble Minister for Labour & Excise also addressed the function. Dr. Ajay Kumar IAS , Secretary (IT) furnished a detailed report on Kollam Park and Mr. Siddhartha Bhattacharya, CEO, Technopark proposed the vote of thanks on this historic moment of IT in Kerala.

The park which will be managed by Technopark Thiruvananthapuram, will come up on 40 acres of land at Kundara in Kollam. The first phase of the park will be completed by the middle of 2010 and will involve an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore. The park in Kollam will initially have around 100,000 sq feet of built-up space and will also offer developed plots varying in size from 2 acres to 5 acres.

Digitella Certified as Microsoft Gold Partner

Thiruvananthapuram : January 29, 2009:

Digitella, a leading service provider in Technopark, is privileged by being certified as Microsoft Gold Partner. Digitella has proven it's excellence to many of the European giants through high standard Product Services. Being ISO 9001:2000 certified organization; Digitella has strengthened its endeavour to keep high standards through the Microsoft Gold Certification. Digitella still stands as a strong challenge to the service providers in Europe especially in the pitch of Software development, Web design and Web development, Share point services, .NET solutions, Microsoft solutions, e-Learning solutions, Content development, Learning Management systems etc.

New building of CDAC in Technopark

Thiruvananthapuram : January 22, 2009:

 The Minister of Communication & IT, Govt of India has approved the award of construction work of C-DAC building at Technopark. RDS Projects Limited will be constructing the building.

Technopark signed  land lease agreement with IIITM-K

Thiruvananthapuram : January  21 2009:
 

Technopark signed land lease agreement with IIITM-K and allotted 96 cents of land in the campus. Photo shows- Mr.Sundara Pandian, acting Director, Dr.CSP.Iyer & Mr. M K Rajendra Kumar, Registrar with CEO Siddhartha Bhattacharya & Sr.Manager, M Vasudevan.

Thiruvananthapuram : January  21 2009:

 M/s Alethea Info Solutions Pvt Ltd, offering world class Offshore Telemarketing Call Center services was inaugurated by Mr. L. Sasankamanidharan, Superintending Engineer, LSGD, South Circle, Trivandrum.

Delegates from Allianz, Munich visits Technopark

Thiruvananthapuram : January 21, 2009:

A high level delegation from Aliianz, Munich visited Technopark.

Kollam Technopark land handed over to IT Department

Thiruvananthapuram : January 6, 2009:

The possession of Kollam Technopark land was handed over to IT Secretary, Dr Ajai Kumar by Mr A Shahjahan, District Collector in the presence of Education Minister Shri M A Baby. The Foundation Stone of the Park will be laid by the Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri VS Achuthanandan on 10.2.2009 at Kundara at 5 pm at a function presided over by Shri M A Baby, Education Minister in the presence Opposition Leader Shri Oommen Chandy, Revenue Minister, Industries Minister, Transport Minister, Irrigation Minister, PWD Minister, Labour Minister, MP, Panchayath Presidents, Members and other very important invited dignitories from IT, Real Estate, prominent NRKs and others.. The Chief Secretary will welcome the gathering, the IT Secretary Dr Ajai Kumar will present a report on the Kollam park and Shri Siddartha Bhattacharya, CEO, Technopark will propose vote of thanks.

Hon. Chief Minister interacts with CEOs of IT Companies

Thiruvananthapuram : November 13, 2008:

KIRDI Delegation visits Technopark

Thiruvananthapuram : November 11, 2008:

A high level delegation headed by the Permanent Secretary(Industrialization) visited Technopark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Integration and Economic Council Awards Prestigious "Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award" to IT Professional Mr. Varughese George, CTO of Satmetrix

Thiruvananthapuram : September 15, 2008:

Satmetrix, the leader in enterprise customer loyalty solutions and co-developer of Net Promoter(R), is pleased to announce that Mr. Varughese George, President and Director of Satmetrix India and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Satmetrix, received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award from the National Integration and Economic Council in a grand ceremony at the Sri Sathya Sai International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 24th August 2008. The award was presented by His Excellency Dr. A.R. Kidwai, Governor of Hayrana, for Mr.George's outstanding achievements in Information Technology, R&D and Management.

The Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award was instituted in memory of the late Prime Minister of India, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. This prestigious award is conferred upon select individuals of the country in recognition of their outstanding contributions and achievements in the fields of industry, business, public life, administrative, social, educational and cultural services.

At the 65th birthday celebration of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, the National Integration & Economic Council held a high level symposium, Rajiv's Role in Promoting National Integration. The meeting was inaugurated by Governor of Mizoram, His Excellency Lt.Gen (Retd) M.M. Lakhera, PVSM, AVSM, VSM and was presided over by Dr. Bhishma Narain Singh, former Governor of Tamil Nadu & Assam. Dr G.V.G Krishnamurthy, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, was a chief guest of honor at the ceremony. The highlight of the symposium was the presentation of the Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award.

Mr. George is a young and dynamic executive and entrepreneur with more than 16 years of experience in management, R&D and software development in establishments ranging from large corporations to start-up companies. A proud son of India with a long history in the Silicon Valley, Mr. George is a technologist and innovator with an entrepreneurial spirit and dynamic thinking.

Commencement of Phase III by Hon. Chief Minister Shri. V.S Achuthanandan

Thiruvananthapuram : September 4, 2008:

TECHNOPARK set up in July 1990 with the objective of creating the infrastructure and providing support required by hi-technology IT/ITES companies in Kerala had its foundation stone laid on 31.3.1991 by the then Chief Minister Shri E K Nayanar at a function presided over by Smt Gouri Amma, the then Industries Minister. TECHNOPARK was formally dedicated to the nation by the then Prime Minister Shri P V Narasimha Rao at a function presided over by Shri A K Antony, the then Chief Minister. Shri K Karunakaran, the then Union Industries Minister and Shri P K Kunhalikutty, the then Industries Minister and Smt Susheela Gopalan, the then Member of Parliament were present.

TECHNOPARK is today, the largest IT Park in the country with 150 nationally and internationally reputed companies in 4 million sq.ft. built-up area and over 20,000 IT/ITES professionals employed directly. The first phase will provide additional employment opportunities for 15,000 IT/ITES professionals when the special economic zone campuses of Tata Consultancy Services, IBS Software Solutions and buildings of Aushim Soft (Leela Group), Tata Elxsi, NeST, Case Consult, etc., are ready and fully operational. The second phase will provide employment to 30,000 professionals by Infosys Technologies and UST Global when this campus is fully operational. The first building of Infosys Technologies is expected to be operational by March 2009 in this campus. The third phase 92 acres will provide employment opportunities to 35,000 professionals when it is fully ready. It is expected by the year 2012, with these three phases fully operational TECHNOPARK will provide direct employment opportunities to 100,000 IT/ITES professionals and 400,000 indirectly. The major companies currently in the campus include Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies, Ernst & Young, Mckinsey & Co., Allianz Cornhill, Collabera, Toonz AnimationRM Educational Software, Alamy Images, Kanoo Group, Saudi Engineering Group, and home grown companies like UST Global, IBS Software Solutions, NeST, SunTec, Accentia Technologies, Seaview Support Systems  etc.

The third phase was formally opened by Shri V S Achuthanandan, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala on 4th September 2008 at Technopark Phase III at a function presided by Shri M Vijayakumar, Hon'ble Minister for Law, Sports & Parliamentary Affairs. Mr N K Premachandran, Hon'ble Minister for Water Resources was the guest of honour at the function. The inauguration will mark the commencement of construction of the new 110 KV sub-station at a cost of Rs. 10 crores. The work will be done by Asea Brown Boveri, the giants in power distribution and transmission. Hon'ble MP Shri Varkala Radhakrishnan, Hon'ble MLA Shri M A Vahid, Deputy Mayor Shri Jayaprakash and Ward Councillor Sivadutt were present. IT Secretary and TECHNOPARK Project Implementation Board Chairman Dr Ajaykumar welcomed the guests and Mr N Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, Technopark  proposed vote of thanks. The funding for the project is done by South Indian Bank.

Speaking about the expansion plans Mr R K Nair, CEO, Technopark said "This is a giant step towards our aim of putting Kerala among the top five IT destinations in the country by 2012".

VYGA Animation signs agreement with Technopark

Thiruvananthapuram : September 2, 2008:

 Technopark signed agreement with Mr R Asok, Director, Vyga Animation. Ms Geetha Mathew, GM is also there.

TechTop 2008 Prizes given away

Thiruvananthapuram : August 19, 2008:

Prize distribution ceremony of the TechTop 2008 was announced in a glittering ceremony held at Travancore Hall, Technopark on the evening of Aug 19th at Travancore Hall Technopark. Dr.K.Radhakrishnan, Director VSSC was the Chief Guest of the evening for the Award ceremony presided over by Dr.Ajaykumar, Secretary-IT, Govt of Kerala.

The first prize for Degree C Trophee and a cash prize of Rs.1 Lakh was won by DKTE's Textile & Engg Institute, Ichalkaranji, Maharastra for their project "Electrolyte Effluent Treatment Plant".

The Second prize of Rs.25000 sponsored by IBS Group was won by THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, Bangalore, Karnataka for their project "CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT ASSEMBLY".

The Third prize of Rs. 10000/- sponsored by One view systems, Technopark & Suntec Business Solutions, Technopark was won by BITS PILANI, Goa & Sahrdaya Engg College, Kodakara for their projects "Microbial Fuel Cell Using Sewage & Water Plants" & "EOG BASED ROOM UTILITY CONTROL FOR BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS"

VSSC director gave insight about the business and the business operations in an organization Qualities of a CEO, Effective leadership, Team building, and the other business process flows. He pointed out that India is in an envious position in the science and Technology field and also about the Chandrayan project of ISRO.

Dr.Ajay Kumar IAS, Secretary-IT, Government of Kerala presided over the TechTop 2008 Award Ceremony.

TechTop is organized every year to tap the innovative potential of entrepreneurial citizens of India. The objective is to promote individual innovators through support mechanism at various stages to become technology based entrepreneurs (Technopreneurs). This competition was conceived by Degree C and actively supported and promoted by Technopark for spreading the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.

TechTop 2008 was supported by IEEE and Executive Knowledge Lines & IBS .The major sponsor’s of the event were IBS, SunTech Business Soutions, One view Systems, AES Solutions, Light Logics, Aviva Life Insurance, Acts Info, MobMe, ThoughtLine Technologies etc.

The Award Ceremony of TechTop 2008 was held at Travancore Hall, Technopark at 4pm on 19th August for which the Chief Guest was Mr. K.Radhakrishnan, Director, VSSC at a function presided over by Dr. Ajay Kumar ,IAS,Secretary-IT and attended by Mr. Rajesh Nair, Chairman & CTO, Degree C Inc, Mr. Anthony Joseph, Sr. Vice President - HR, IBS Group, Mr. Amarnath Raja Chairman IEE Kerala Section & Mr. N.T.NAIR, Chief Editor-Executive Knowledge Lines, Mr. Moossa.C.Kandy, Degree C & Mr. K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO & Programme Co-ordinator New Initiatives, Technopark.

Entrepreneurship Development Cell inaugurated at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering, Kanjirappally

July 14, 2008:

An Entrepreneurship Development Cell has been formally inaugurated at Amal Jyothi College of Engineering(AJCE), Kanjirappally, Kottayam on 14th July, 2008 in the College Auditorium with the support of Technopark. Technopark

TBI shall be extending all sorts of support to the Engineering College for co-ordinating the effective conduct of the Entrepreneurship Development Activities thus maintaining the status of a Regional TBI in the State.

The EDC was inaugurated by Mr. N.Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO Technopark by lighting the lamp. The inaugural function was presided over by Rev Fr.Aji Athimoottil, Manager AJCE. Mr. K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO, Technopark and Programme Coordinator-New Initiatives, Technopark TBI delivered the keynote address. Dr. Mahajan P Mani, Member, Syndicate,MG University, Kottayam. Dr. S Balasubramonian, Director,AJCE, Rev.Fr. Jose Kannampuzha,Principal and Mr.Joy Syriac, Dean Academic Studies attended the inaugural ceremony and addressed the gathering and enlightened them with entrepreneurial thoughts.

Inaugurating the EDC Mr. N.Radhakrishnan Nair said that the major objective of forming the EDC is to promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the campus and also to exploit and effectively convert the skills and expertise within the institute to create entrepreneurial ventures. He said that India is no more a third world country instead she has emerged as a leader in all fields of Engineering Science whether it be IT, Computer Science ,Automobile Engineering, Civil Engineering and all this has been possible through innovations in the respective areas. He pointed out that "Technopark, through the Technology Business Incubation initiatives, is creating an ecosystem and a fertile ground that promotes the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship through out the state. We are proud of the fact that we have incubated more than 70 start up technology Cos in our incubation facilities in the past 5 years with a success rate of over 90% which enabled us to bag the National Award for the Best Technology Business Incubator for 2007 instituted by National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) of the Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India."

EDC & TBI Inaugurated at LBS College of Engineering, Kasaragod

June 25, 2008:

The Entrepreneurship Development Cell & a Virtual Technology Business Incubator in LBS College of Engineering, Kasaragod has been formally inaugurated on 21st June, 2008 in the College Auditorium with the support of Technopark. The EDC was inaugurated by Mr. K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO, Technopark and Programme Coordinator-New Initiatives, Technopark TBI. The inaugural function was presided over by Dr. P.T.Rajan Nambiar, Principal LBS College of Engineering. Mr. Vinodu George ,Asst. Professor, Mr. Sreejith.S, Technical Officer, Technopark TBI and Mr. Vinod.O.M, Coordinator of EDC attended the inaugural ceremony and addressed the gathering.

Inaugurating the EDC Mr. K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO Technopark said that the major objective of forming the EDC is to promote Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the campus. Another objective is to exploit and effectively convert the skills and expertise within the institute to create entrepreneurial ventures. He pointed out that "Technopark, through the Technology Business Incubation initiatives, is creating an ecosystem and a fertile ground that promotes the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship through out the state. We are proud of the fact that we have incubated more than 70 start up technology Cos in our incubation facilities in the past 5 years with a success rate of over 90% which enabled us to bag the National Award for the Best Technology Business Incubator for 2007 and a Seed Funding Assistance of Rs.200 Lakhs instituted by National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) of the Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India". Mr. K.V Rajendran, GM (Technical) shall represent Technopark in the Institutional Level Committee of LBS College of Engineering, Kasaragod.

"The Entrepreneurship Development activities of the College shall offer all sorts of support to spot & transform the innovative ideas among the Students into marketable products and to incubate them in the Technology Business Incubator and thereby drive the economic growth of the State to newer heights" said Dr. P.T.Rajan Nambiar,Principal LBS Engineering College in the presidential speech. The Technopark TBI shall be providing all essential support needed for the Entrepreneurship Development (ED) activities including training for the Faculty Members and in organizing Workshops and Seminars in this regard thus maintaining the status of a Regional TBI in the State.

A virtual Technology Business Incubator has also been inaugurated to incubate Swades Solutions, a business venture promoted by 4 students from the College who has set up a Company in the Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI). Deepak,Abhinav,Ashwin and Hisham,all computer science students from LBS College of Engineering,Kasaragod.Swades Solutions shall be operating out of LBS College of Engineering and shall be a company of T-TBI operating offcampus. Mr. K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair in his inaugural speech "aspired that Swades Solutions shall be the first home grown IT Company to start its operation in the newly coming up Kasaragod Knowledge Park at Cheemeny".

We are set to be a huge motivation for more young people to turn into job providers rather than job seekers. "Inspired by the success stories of companies from the Technopark Technology Business Incubator, we are sure of growing big under the guidance of TBI", says Deepak,CEO,Swades Solutions.

Technopark, Trivandrum bags the National Award for the best Technology Business Incubator for the year 2007

May 11, 2008:

The Technology Business Incubator (TBI) at Technopark, Trivandrum has bagged the prestigious National Award for the best Technology Business Incubator in the country for the year 2007. The award is instituted by the Department of Science & Technology of the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India for encouraging and recognizing the Business Incubation activity, which plays a key role in promoting the entrepreneurial culture in India. The Former President of India and renowned Scientist, Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, presented the National Award at a glittering ceremony held at the Convention Hall of The Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi, on Sunday, May 11, 2008, as part of the Technology Day 2008 celebrations, in the presence of Sri Kapil Sibal, Hon. Minister for Science & Technology. On behalf of Technopark, Sri N. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO and Sri K.C.Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO & Programme Manager - New Initiatives, received the National Award from Dr. Abdul Kalam.

The success story of Technopark's Incubation initiatives goes back to the early part of this decade, when the 'Technopark Business Incubation Centre' (T-BIC) was established in 2002 with the support of Government of Kerala, for incubating Business Enterprises. Following the success of this initiative, Technopark started the Technopark - Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI) in 2006, a pioneering initiative in Kerala, funded by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India that provides budding entrepreneurs in the "knowledge driven" industry all facilities and support to tide over their teething problems and establish their company in a short time.

So far, Technopark has successfully incubated more than 70 start-up Companies from the level of a mere idea to that of a successful Business Organisation, creating new employment opportunities for more than 2000 highly qualified Professionals. By selecting Technopark for this prestigious award, the Government of India has recognized the pioneering efforts of Technopark in bringing knowledge driven Industries to the State of Kerala, by spurring the entrepreneurial spirit among our talented Professionals.

India's First JBoss Center of Excellence at Trivandrum

February 11, 2008:

InApp, a leading software services company in the Technopark, Trivandrum, has set up India's first JBoss Center of Excellence (JBoCE), in Technopark, Trivandrum. Mr. S. Satyamoorthy, Principal JBoss Evangelist, Asia-Pacific, and the head of the JBoss Division of Red Hat India, formally inaugurated the Centre at InApp's Technopark premises, Trivandrum on 8th February 2008. JBoCE will provide JBoss expertise to consultants, developers, technicians and trainers, directed primarily at the Asia-Pacific and US markets.

JBoss is the world's most popular application server that has overtaken the offerings of IBM, Oracle and BEA in market share in the last couple of years. Application servers are key middleware that serve as platforms for enterprise computing, especially for large-scale applications such as e-governance, web-based ERP and large public web sites.

As a "Professional Open Source" product, JBoss provides many features that contribute to faster application development, more maintainable code and high scalability in comparison to its proprietary rivals. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) associated with JBoss enterprise applications is considered substantially lower than that of competing middleware. For Kerala, whose IT policy affirms a clear preference towards Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), JBoss would be a particularly appropriate fit, especially for e-governance applications.

By launching the JBoss Center of Excellence, InApp - a Red Hat partner and a pioneer in the spread of open source technologies in India - hopes to bring the benefits of JBoss to the e-governance scenario in India and stimulate the development of more enterprise-level applications on Open Source platforms.

JBoCE will recruit and train professionals to create a pool of manpower who can take on the development and maintenance of JBoss applications in India as well the rest of Asia-Pacific. It is expected that the availability of trained JBoss professionals will further increase penetration of this robust, efficient and cost-effective enterprise middleware. Since enterprise-class applications operate at the higher end of the value chain, the Centre also will help in developing local human resources.

Digitella Inaugurates its Office in Thejaswini

 12th November 2007 :

Digitella, the British owned software development company shifted its operation into its new facility in Thejaswini Building on November 12, 2007. The facility was inaugurated by the General Manager of Technopark, Shri Rajendran. Also present on the occasion were Shri M Vasudevan (Senior Manager - Business Development), Shri K C Chandrasekharan Nair (Chief Finance Officer), Shri K Ramachandran (Deputy General Manager - P&A) and other officials from Technopark.

Digitella, ISO 9001:2000 certified organization, is owned by Mr. Jeb Buckler, a Technopraneur, with 25 years of experience in technology, software development, business systems, integration, web enablement, SAP & other ERP, BPO, offshore outsourcing, OCR, Multiple vertical markets and technology platforms for clients across Europe. The company had recently celebrated its second anniversary. Digitella has got the exposure and expertise in wide range of technical domains including Microsoft .Net, ERP solutions like SAP, ORACLE, JD Edwards, etc, as well as in Open Source Software development. Digitella has got a large international client base, predominantly in the UK and across mainland Europe, and has its solutions & services being enjoyed by world class companies like British Telecom, British American Tobacco, Barclays Bank, L'Oreal, ST Microelectronics, British Airways, Rolls Royce, Relay consultants, and many others.

Mr Jeb Buckler, CEO of Digitella, said "I am delighted to have reached this important milestone with Digitella in India. Our new infrastructure enables us to raise our capabilities and service levels up to world-class standards and provide over 100 of the highest quality resources with a state-of-the-art environment and superb working conditions at the Technopark".

The new facility just inaugurated in Thejaswini currently operates out of nearly 5000 square feet of office space with conference and meeting rooms, a vast open plan space for 75 professionals with additional self-contained space provided for ODC purposes. Digitella have a strong growth record and recently reserved 5.5 acres space in the Technopark for their future expansion plans.

Mayor of Novara, Italy visits TECHNOPARK

 9th November 2007 :

The worshipful Mayor of Novara, Italy Mr. Massimo Giordano, visited Technopark, along with a delegation consisting of Mr. Fabrizio Cardinali, Member of Lawyers Order Novara, Mr. Fabrizio Bertola, Ms. Laura Boroli, and Mr.Geuseppe Barbera, Gruppo Zenit Italy. The Mayor and the delegates were given a warm welcome at the Park centre by the worshipful Mayor of Trivandrum Shri Jayan Babu, the Park Centre officials headed by the CEO of Technopark Mr. R K Nair, Mr M Vasudevan, Senior Manager(Business Development) and members of E-Team. The welcome function was followed by an interactive session held at the conference hall at Park center. The Mayor of Trivandrum explained that Trivandrum is undergoing a major developmental phase and is today one of the top IT/ITES investment destinations in India. The Novara Mayor while thanking for the hospitality mentioned that Trivandrum is a very beautiful place and wanted IT/ITES companies in Trivandrum and Novara to collaborate and work for mutual benefit. The Novara Mayor indiacted that Novara is one of the most industrially advanced city in Italy and invited the Trivandrum Mayor and Technopark officials to visit Novara. The Mayor and delegates later visited the office of US Technologies, Toonz Animation and E-Team and were quite impressed with the facilities offered by Technopark and the functioning style of the companies located here.

Indriya Technologies Private Ltd. signs agreement with Technopark

 27th September 2007 :

Indriya Technologies Pvt.Ltd. signed agreement with Technopark. The agreement was signed by Mr.G Sreeprakash, Managing Director of Indriya Technologies and Mr. N. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, Technopark.

The Visit of the French Trade Commissioner

 26th September 2007 :


The French Trade Commissioner Mr Jean-Louis Poli visited Technopark on 26th September 2007 as part of his two-day visit to Kerala. He had a meeting with CEO and officials of Technopark, Mr. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, made a brief presentation on the overall business climate in Kerala, particularly with reference to the IT and ITES industry in the State and the investment friendly initiatives of the State Government, the facilities in Technopark and the immense opportunities available for private sector with the new projects like Technocity, Smart City and others.

The main objective of Mr Poli's visit, was to understand the business potential in Kerala, and assess the advantages of French Companies investing in Kerala.

Mr Poli also visited Toonz Animation and IBS and held discussions with them.

YSC opens its New Office

 26th September 2007 :


YSC Engineering Services India Pvt Ltd - a subsidiary of Yanbu Steel, K.S.A, a world class engineering firm has opened its new design & engineering facility at C-3, Thejaswini on 26th of September 2007. YSC started it's operation in India as an incubation Company in Nila during September 2005.


General Manager of Yanbu Steel Company Mr. David MacPhee inaugurated the expanded facility in the presence of Mr. Binu Pappan (CEO, YSC India) Mr. M.Vasudevan (Business Development Manager, Technopark), Mr. K Ramachandran (Dy. General Manager P&A, Technopark) & Mr.Ranjith Karthikeyan (Chartered Accountant, YSC India)

This 4600 Sq.ft unit will cater to the specialized engineering solutions for Oil & Gas, Chemical, Petrochemical & Fertilizer industries.

Cooperation Agreement between Shenyang Information Industry Bureau (SIIB), China and Technopark, Trivandrum

 21st September 2007 : .

A Co-operation agreement was signed between Shengyang Information Industry Bureau, Liaoning Province (representing the Department of Information Industry, Shenyang Municipal People's Government, which is responsible for the growth and development of Information Industry in the Capital City of Shenyang, Liaoning Province). The agreement was signed, the 21st September 2007 in Shenyang, China, on Friday by Mr Yang Hongfeng, Director on behalf of the Shengyang Information Industry Bureau and Mr N Radhakrishnan Nair, Chief Executive Officer on behalf of Technopark, Trivandrum. Technopark has already initiated the first step by being the official host of the 6 member Chinese delegation from Shenyang Municipal People's Government scheduled to visit Technopark in November 2007. SIIB. The main objective of the agreement is to create a bond of friendship, which needs to be nurtured and sustained over a period of time. This agreement will be valid for a period of one year, which will be renewed at the expiry based on mutual consent.

Technopark will promote Co-operation between Indian IT/ITES Companies from TECHNOPARK & Kerala and Shenyang based IT Software Companies especially in the area of:

• BPO for Japan, South Korea and Mainland China.

• Software export and outsourcing services (embedded software) for Japanese,  South Korean, American and European markets

• Software outsourcing training, specially the training for BPO

• Animation outsourcing

• Allied areas

The agreement says SIIB stands committed to promote Technopark and Infopark by encouraging Shenyang based IT Software Companies to explore the possibility of locating themselves at Technopark/Infopark either as Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprises (WOFE) or as joint venture partners with Indian IT Software Companies and also supporting frequent exchange of IT Software delegations.

IT/ITES Industry Academia Meet

 13th September 2007 :

The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Kerala Shri V S Achuthanandan, inaugurated the one-day national seminar on IT/ITES Industry Academia organized by National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM) in association with TECHNOPARK at TECHNOPARK, Trivandrum. The Meet was basically held to come to an understanding on the requirement of human resources by the Industry and the availability by the Academia. The Hon'ble Chief Minister in his inaugural speech informed the gathering that the Government would extend all possible help to be a catalyst for industry-academia convergence. Mr. Kiran Karnik, President of NASSCOM in his keynote address titled "IT Industry and Manpower Challenges" emphasized the need for making available quality human resource to meet the increasing demand by the IT/ITES industry. He also mentioned that Kerala has got the best talent available and the State should initiate action to convert raw talent into high quality IT/ITES professionals.

In participation with the industry, the Government is launching a new job portal - www.keralatalent.in. By this the Government of Kerala aims to bridge the gap between the employers and the job seekers. The objective of this initiative is to create platform for all the job seekers across the state of Kerala irrespective of their qualification, to get registered and the same to be made available to prospective employers. The website address of this job portal will change to www.keralatalent.gov.in in a week's time. KSITM will partner with TMI First for creating awareness among the youth of Kerala about the available and upcoming job opportunities in the IT/ITES Sector.

The State Government has also exchanged MoU on NASSCOM Assessment Competence. This will enable the human resource available in the State to be certified as NASSCOM Assessed Competent Personnel, which will boost the job opportunities.

Dr K Balaveera Reddy, Former Vice Chancellor of Visweswaraya Technological Institute spoke on "India's Academic Scenario-Role of Universities and Colleges". Mr K R Jyothi Lal, IT Secretary welcomed the guests and Mr N Radhakrishnan Nair proposed vote of thanks.

IBS Software Completes 10 Years of Remarkable Growth

 8th September 2007 :

IBS Software Services, a leading provider of new-generation IT solutions to the global Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL) industry, celebrated its 10th anniversary. In a short span of ten years, the Company has scripted a remarkable story of growth. Starting from humble beginnings at the Technopark campus here, IBS has grown to a multinational today, doing business from 11 global centers around the world. What is significant is that the Company offers a range of as many as 15 software products and other customized solutions that manage the mission-critical operations of airlines, airports, cruise lines, oil & gas companies, leisure resorts and seaports across the globe. IBS' customer list of over 70 active customers includes the world's best airlines, the busiest international airports, the best cruise lines and the top oil & gas companies.

Steady and sustained growth based on a clear vision have ensured that IBS has posted a CAGR of 47.5% in the last ten years, resulting in a 700 fold increase on capital invested in 1997, as against a 30 fold increase in staff strength over the same period. Three strategic acquisitions have helped IBS become a veritable one-stop shop for new-generation solutions that address the complete requirements of all types of airlines and cruise lines. Recently, General Atlantic LLC invested US Dollars 60 million (Rupees 242 Crores) in the company. Being a global growth investor in the technology sector, General Atlantic will provide the strategic assistance to propel IBS to the next phase of its aggressive growth strategy.

Focus on the niche Travel, Transportation and Logistics industry segments and commitment to developing new-generation technology solutions have been the underlying factors in IBS' growth. IBS has successfully developed a Passenger Services System (aiRES) and a Cargo Management System (iCargo), both built from the ground-up on new-generation technologies that help airlines migrate from decades old legacy systems and redefine their business. IBS has a comprehensive logistics management solution for the oil & gas industry (iLogistics) which addresses aviation, marine and surface transportation needs of upstream exploration and production operations. iLogistics is currently implemented for a number of oil majors. The Company offers solutions in Airline Passenger Services, Airline Cargo & Logistics, Airline & Airport Operations, Oil & Gas Logistics and Travel & Cruise Management.

IBS has also been rated as one of the top 8 IT start-ups in India by Red Herring and one of the top 10 products companies by Business Today.

V K Mathews, Chairman and Managing Director, IBS Group, said, "Taking stock a decade since inception, it gives me great pride that we have made significant progress and are on track with the Company's vision, both in terms of growth and direction. At this juncture, I would like to thank all my colleagues and our customers for trusting and growing with IBS. IBS will continue to stay focused on the Travel, Transportation & Logistics sector and remain committed to providing innovative next-generation products and services that will help these industry verticals through aggressive growth phases and fierce competition."

A High Profile Visitor

 7th September 2007 :

Shri. N R Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies visited Technopark on September 7th 2007. "The Technopark in Trivandrum is the best managed IT park" Infosys chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy has said. Shri Murthy said this during his visit to the Park Centre at Technopark on Friday. Shri. Narayana Murthy was in Trivandrum to attend a conference organised by the National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM). Welcoming Shri. Narayana Murthy, Technopark CEO Radhakrishnan Nair said the Technopark was delighted to honour Shri. Narayana Murthy, the doyen of Indian IT industry and the icon of Indian pride and self confidence.

Shri Murthy and Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Infosys met the Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri V S Achuthanandan earlier on the day.. Shri Narayana Murthy and Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan offered all support to the Hon'ble Chief Minister from Infosys for making Kerala one of the best IT/ITES destinations in the world. They also informed the Hon'ble Chief Minister that work on the Technopark Phase II (Infy Campus) will begin immediately after this rainy season. Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan invited the Hon'ble CM to visit the Infosys Campus in Bangalore.

TATA Elxsi opens its New Office

 7th September 2007 :


Shri Madhukar Dev, CEO of TATA Elxsi opened their new office in the Building constructed by TATA Elxsi at Technopark Campus on September 7, 2007 at a simple function. The formal inauguration of the building is expected once the building is fully ready for operation. Tata Group of which Tata Elxsi (India) Ltd, is a part is a a US $ 10 billion industrial conglomerate. Tata Elxsi is a customer driven IT company offering solutions in the Indian market, and design and development services in the international market. It was incorporated in 1989 with the Tata Group holding 40% of its equity, the rest being held by the public. Based at Bangalore, India, Tata Elxsi has grown over 12 sales and support offices country wide, representative offices in USA and Japan, and three Design & Development Centres in India. The Design & Development Centre in Technopark currently employs nearly 500 professionals.

New facility of R.R. Donnelley & Co launched at Technopark

 3rd September 2007 :

R.R. Donnelley & Co, a premier full service provider of print and related services, formerly known as Office Tiger, has started its expanded facility on September 3, 2007 at Technopark. IT Special Secretary Shri K.R. Jyothilal inaugurated the BPO unit of the company. The new unit of the company will function in a 41,000-sqft facility at the Tejaswini building at Technopark. This will be in addition to the existing 8000-sq ft facility at Pamba on the same campus. The Technopark units will provide transaction processing and financial management services to the clients in Europe and the US.

A High Level delegation from Dubai visits Technopark

 22nd August 2007 :

A high level delegation from the Dubai-based S.S Lootah Group visited Technopark on August 22, 2007. The 11-member delegation was on an exploratory mission to check out on possible opportunities for collaboration with Technopark through material and technological investments. Secretary-IT, Shri. K.R. Jyothilal, IAS, CEO Shri. N. Radhakrishnan Nair and colleagues received the guests and gave them a formal presentation on Technopark. This was followed by discussions with the Secretary, CEO and others on potential avenues of cooperation. S.S. Lootah Group is involved in a wide range of activities like construction & real estate, energy, financial services, applied research, ICT, education & healthcare, media and architecture.

"We are deeply impressed by the ambience, the work culture, the greenery all around the wide open spaces, all making this a great place to park ourselves for business."H.E. Eng. Yahya Bin Saeed Al Lootah, Vice Chairman of the Group, remarked at the close of the visit." We shall send a technical delegation soon to further explore the ways and means for collaboration." Global brands like S.S. Lootah Group are increasingly viewing Technopark, as a choice destination for investment is further proof that Kerala has arrived on the global IT arena as a worthy location.

IBS on Accelerated Growth Path

 25th July 2007 : General Atlantic to invest US$ 60 million

IBS Software Services (IBS), a leading provider of IT solutions to the Travel, Transportation and Logistics industries announced today that General Atlantic LLC (GA) will invest $60 million (Rs. 242 Crores) in the company for a minority stake. General Atlantic is a leading global growth investor and is rated as one of the top 20 Private Equity investment companies in the world. Edelweiss is the exclusive financial advisor to IBS in this transaction.

Founded in 1997, IBS is a leading provider of new-generation software products and services for the Travel, Transportation and Logistics industry sectors serving 70+ customers world-wide. They include the world's top airlines, busiest airports, top cruise lines and top oil & gas companies, which use IBS solutions for their mission-critical operations. IBS employs about 1,700 employees globally with two development centers in India.

On the occasion VK Mathews, Chairman & Managing Director, IBS Group said, "We are very excited about this partnership which will enable us to leverage the strengths of our respective organizations. Being a global growth investor in the technology sector, General Atlantic will be able to provide IBS with strategic assistance to propel IBS to the next phase of its aggressive growth strategy."

"IBS is perhaps the only IT Company in the world to have invested over 2,000 man-years developing new generation products for the Travel, Transportation and Logistics sector. GA's investment will be used to further accelerate the organization’s growth through global mergers & acquisitions, and ramping up our sales, business consulting capability and infrastructure," he added.

Abhay Havaldar, Managing Director of General Atlantic, will join the IBS board of directors and will assist the company in evaluating growth opportunities globally. Commenting on General Atlantic’s commitment to IBS, Mr. Havaldar said, "IBS is one of the leading software product companies in India and with its deep technical expertise, high quality client base and strong management team, IBS is extremely well-positioned for continued growth and expansion. We look forward to working closely with the IBS management team as an active long-term investor and strategic partner, with the goal of building IBS into a global market leader."

Light Logics Holography & Optics signs agreement with Technopark

 28th June 2007 :

Light Logics Holography & Optics Pvt.Ltd. signed agreement with Technopark. The agreement was signed by Mr.P T Ajith Kumar of Light Logics Holography & Optics and Mr. N. Radhakrishnan Nair, CEO, Technopark.

 

 

Delegates from Kuwait visited Technopark

 11th June 2007 :

A four member delegation from Kuwait Finance House visited Technopark and held discussions with Senior Manager (Business Development) Technopark Mr. M. Vasudevan. The delegates included Mr.Ali O. Al-Ghannaam, Dept Manager-International Real Estate Dept; Mr. Abdul Naser A. Al-Subaih, Deputy Assistant GM-Investment Sector; Mr. Mohammad Jalal Uddin, Senior Investment Manager, International Real Estate Dept; Mr. Mathew Thomas, Investment Risk Manager, Investment Sector. They were highly impressed by Kerala and the Technopark campus and expressed their interest in investing in IT/ITES cos. in Kerala.

KSRTC has started long distance operations from Technopark

 8th June 2007 :

KSRTC has extended a good service to Technopark community by introducing long distance bus service to Aluva and Kottayam from Park Centre every Friday at 530 pm.

Ticket bookings will be done from Nila entrance and Bhavani entrance by KSRTC officials. Return ticket can also be booked in advance.

Delegates from ORNL (USA) visits Technopark

 7th June 2007 :

A three member delegation consisting of Mr. Thomas Zacharia, Mr. Rich Adams and Mr. Shalendra Porwal from the famous Oak Ridge National Laboratory in US visited Technopark and held discussions with the CEO of Technopark Mr. Radhakrishnan Nair. The IT Secretary Mr. K. R. Jyothilal, Senior Manager (Business Development) Technopark Mr. M.Vasudevan and the CEO of IBS Mr. VK Mathews were also present at the occasion.

ORNL(founded in 1943) is recognized for its outstanding environmental compliance record in US. The organization has historic competencies in energy, health and life sciences, defense, homeland security, high performance computing.

The delegates expressed their interest in setting up Research and Development labs in India where they feel lies a growing market. The themes cut out for India includes Nanosonics, Biotechnology, IT and Energy. Attracting and training vast pool of human capital present in this part of the country and creating world-class R&D labs are their main priorities for India.

Vietnamese Ambassador visits Technopark

 28th May 2007 :

H.E. Mr. Vu Quang Diem, Ambassador Extraordinary, Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to India, along with his wife visited Technopark on 28th May 2007. He was received by the Technopark CEO Mr.Radhakrishnan Nair and Mr. M.Vasudevan, Senior Manager (Business Development), at Park Centre. There followed a warm exchange of talks.

The CEO made a presentation about Technopark. The visiting dignitary talked about the vast similarities he observed between Vietnam and Kerala; the coconut trees, the water bodies, the cool climate made him feel the touch of his own nation state. What more, when the CEO apprised him of the vast opportunities available in Technopark for the IT industry, he was bowled over and showed his keenness to enter into a pact with India especially Kerala. The Ambassador said Vietnam with nearly 85 million population and with a growth rate of 8% is looking forward to play a major role in IT/ ITES industry and wanted to collaborate with India. The Ambassador also mentioned that he would arrange a high level delegation to visit Kerala to study the IT development initiatives. The Ambassador also invited the Technopark officials to visit Vietnam. The Ambassador also went around Bhavani building.

Technopark participates in the International Conference on Business Incubation

 23rd May 2007 :

The International Conference on Business Incubation, a unique event aimed at harnessing the forces of industry and academia towards technopreneurship was conducted here in the Vellore Institute of Technology University during May 21, 22 and 23, 2007.Sponsored by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, supported by Infodev of the World Bank, convened by VIT Technology Business Incubator and powered by the Centre for Technical Support, VIT University, Vellore, the Conference was divided into several sessions through the three days of the deliberations. The theme of the Conference was Creating a Knowledge Platform Through Partnerships and Alliances Among Incubators.

Kerala and Technopark were represented at the event by Sri. K.C. Chandrasekharan Nair, CFO-Technopark & Programme Co-ordinator, Special Initiatives. The 5th session of the conference on May 23, was addressed by him, with a lucid presentation on Assessing the Needs of Incubatees & Making them Successful. Drawing heavily from his experiences in nurturing incubation through T-TBI and T-BIC, Sri. KCC Nair gave the delegates at the conference a vivid picture of the way in which start up after start-up were incubated into successful ventures with Technopark's care and support. His presentation, aided by graphics and statistics, was widely appreciated and valued by the conference delegates. Also present at the event from Technopark were Sri. Sijo Kuruvilla George (VP-Business Development, Torque) Mr. Rajesh Babu (meCampus) and Dr. Anirudhan (Light Logics), all three representing highly successful start-ups, incubated to graduation and beyond by Technopark Business Incubation Centre.

US Technology plans new campus

 21st May 2007 :

The US Technology on Monday announced its plans for a 36 acre campus near Technopark to house work force to be tripled from the current number of IT professionals of over 4,000 associates, thus making it one of the largest IT hubs for a single company in the state.

The campus will feature a built up area of 16,00,000 sq ft in three phases. The US Technology campus will stand out for its unique architectural style, ambient work spaces and eco-friendly operations round the clock a year. The Campus will be energy efficient and operation will minimize water and electricity use while maximizing water recycling and natural energy. The campus will reflect the US Technology corporate culture, values, transparency and world class standards together with the legacy of the company's late founder-chairman G A Menon, on whose values and philosophy US Technology is built.

" The US Technology campus represents our commitment to making Kerala a hub of IT services excellence" says Sajan Pillai, President and Chief Operating Officer. US Technology has a strong commitment to creating a world class working environment with the use if environmentally sustainable materials and processes at its global facilities.

M-Squared Celebrates 10th Anniversary

 20th May 2007 :

M-Squared Building, a 50,000 sq ft state-of-the art facility was inaugurated by Shri. M. Vijayakumar(Hon. Minister for Law, Sports and Youth Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs). The 10th anniversary function was inaugurated by Shri. Oommen Chandy, Hon. Leader of Opposition.

Infosys Technologies sets up campus in Thiruvanathapuram

 19th May 2007 :

 Infosys Technologies Ltd. today announced its plans to begin the construction of its first campus in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The Honorable Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri V. S. Achuthanandan, today performed the groundbreaking ceremony for this development centre. Mr. K. Dinesh, Co-founder and Member of the Board, Infosys Technologies Ltd. was also present on the occasion. Infosys has already been operating out of a leased facility in Thiruvananthapuram since 2004. With the completion of the new facility, Infosys will have two full-fledged operations in the city.

Commenting on the occasion, Shri. V. S. Achuthanandan said, "Kerala is emerging as a key IT destination in south India. Infosys ramping up its presence in our state is a reaffirmation of this fact. The magnitude of Infosys investment in its development centre demonstrates its long-term commitment towards Kerala and speaks volumes about the world-class facilities on offer here for its employees."

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. K. Dinesh said,"We are very happy to announce expansion plans in the state. I take this opportunity to thank the government of Kerala for the support extended to Infosys. We have plans to invest Rs. 306 crore and set up a state-of-the-art campus, which would include facilities for work and recreation for our employees. We expect to create 8000 seats at this center over the next few years."

Over the next year, in the first unit, Infosys plans to create a capacity to seat 1,500 employees. The existing facility at the Technopark campus in Thiruvananthapuram has a capacity of 1,100 seats and has seen an investment of Rs. 30 crore, as of March 31, 2007. This development centre has a world-class work environment designed to enhance productivity and efficiency. Infosys has also leased 40,000 sq. ft. of space in the Thejaswini Block at Technopark for expansion.

Allianz Cornhill Information Services is now SEI CMMi Level 5

 11th May 2007 :

The Systems Development Division of Allianz Cornhill Information Services, the Offshore Captive centre of Allianz Insurance plc, UK, operating from the Technopark campus in Trivandrum, was certified at SEI CMMi Level 5, the highest maturity level in the Capability Maturity Model - Integrated (CMMi). With this, Allianz Cornhill, India joins the small but elite group of IT Service Providers in the world to have achieved this remarkable feat.

ACIS was certified with a CMMi - Level 3 in 2005.

The assessment was conducted by a team of auditors led by Mr. Stephen Fletcher of MIJ Consulting, UK.

Receiving the certificate from Stephen Fletcher, Chief Operating Officer Rakesh Kumar Gupta said " The CMMI Level 5 rating reiterates our focus and commitment to develop and deliver the highest quality software services .It helps the business reap the qualitative benefit of ingraining process rigour and improvement into the culture. Delivery excellence has become a way of life with us and helps our parent company to be the most successful competitor in our chosen markets".

Gary Mason, Head of Systems Development, Allianz Insurance UK remarked, "We are already seeing significant benefits from ACIS Systems Development (SD) achieving level 5, including the predictability of delivery, the outstanding quality and the speed at which projects are delivered. Everyday ACIS SD is helping us to drive competitive advantage; they are a real 'jewel in our crown'"

Vail Resorts selects IBS' Tour Partner

 7th May 2007 :

Vail Resorts, Inc. (VRI), owners and operators of five major ski areas in the US, has chosen IBS Tour PartnerTM system as the key component in their plan to integrate and upgrade the Company's mission-critical reservations systems. Currently, half a dozen systems are used to accommodate the diverse types of products sold by VRI - from Lift Tickets to Air Inclusive Vacation Packages.

Scott Gustlin, Director of Marketing Technology, VRI, said, "We found Tour PartnerTM after an extensive search for a single reservations application with which to integrate our many inventory systems. With this application, our plans to streamline operations across many of our diverse business units will be addressed."

According to Mr. V K Mathews, Chairman and Managing Director, the IBS Group, " Vail Resort Inc.'s selection of IBS' TourPartner product, for managing their central reservations and booking process indicates the confidence that customers have in our ability to provide state-of-the-art IT solutions to the travel & transportation industries. Recognition by a Corporation of such eminence is a major achievement for the IBS Group, and we are committed to making this relationship a rewarding one for both the companies."

Riding on several successful seasons, Vail Resorts is eagerly anticipating the efficiencies and productivity that will result from the new Central Reservations System. Susan Rubin-Stewart, Director of Reservations VRI, is particularly enthusiastic about the many benefits to her reservation departments. "After many years of mergers and acquisitions, we have a very fragmented reservations environment with many legacy systems. We are very excited to streamline our operations with a single system that supports both our customer and employee needs."

The architecture of the enterprise solution involves real-time integration between Tour Partner and a number of key inventory, financial and customer systems. Within the architecture, Tour PartnerTM, becomes the focal point for the majority of Vail Resort's reservations staff, and enables them to book multiple products in a single, web-enabled interface. The new Vail Resorts Central Reservations System is scheduled to go live in time for next winter's ski season.

Shashi Tharoor, Kerala's IT Ambassador

 3rd May 2007 :

Mr. Shashi Tharoor, former Under Secretary at the United Nations visited Technopark and met with CEO's of Technopark Companies and officials of Technopark. Mr. Tharoor also visited Infosys Technologies & US Technology Resources and had discussions with the officials there. Mr. Tharoor said he was completely bowled over by the developments in IT in Technopark and said he would be Kerala's IT Ambassador to the world.