Published: March 13, 2006

IBM Opens Research Centers to Business Partners

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Access to "Intellectual Capital" to Ignite Collaborative Innovation

Demonstrating its commitment to enabling innovation, IBM for the first time is opening access for its Business Partners to one of its most valuable assets -- intellectual capital represented by the scientists and engineers in its world-class Research division.

Qualified Business Partners now have an opportunity to collaborate with IBM's leading researchers and industry experts to deliver more innovative solutions to broader range of clients, including small and medium businesses. This program, which will be launched in the second quarter, is being offered to partners through IBM's PartnerWorld Industry Networks (PWIN), a set of industry-focused resources designed to help partners develop, market and sell solutions.

"The Research division has always been a huge differentiator for IBM and we want to encourage our partners to tap into that wealth of knowledge and expertise to help them be more innovative in their markets," said Buell Duncan, general manager, ISV and Developer Relations, IBM. "Collaborative innovation is going to be a driving force in the global economy and this program will enable IBM and its partners to be at the forefront of this shift."

As part of the initiative, IBM will be offering business partners hands on access to IBM's 3,000 researchers to collaborate with them on delivering new solutions to the marketplace. Research experts will be made available through IBM's worldwide research centers -- located in China, India, Switzerland, Israel, Japan and the United States -- or by phone for consultations. In addition, partners will also have online access to a broad range of technical resources.

The IBM PartnerWorld Industry Networks provide partners with comprehensive business insight, technical resources, networking opportunities, and marketing and sales support designed to help them reach more customers and close deals faster. Participants in the program can team with IBM to bring solutions to market more easily and to ensure these solutions meet specific industry needs, reflecting how customers buy technology today. By including access to its research division, IBM is extending the collaborative nature of its relationships with partners in a move designed to leverage the strengths of each organization.

IBM has researchers and innovation centers focused on specific industries, giving partners access to both technical leadership as well as industry insight. Qualified partners interested in working with IBM Research also have an opportunity to leverage the work underway at the newly launched IBM Research Innovation Centers. Current centers include the SMB Innovation Center in China and the Electronics Innovation Center in Tokyo. IBM plans to open additional innovation centers later this year.

In one collaborative project that served as a pilot for this initiative, YanSha, one of the largest luxury department store chains in China, became an online supply chain company with the help of IBM's SMB Innovation Center (at the China Research Lab) and eFuture Information Tech Inc, an IBM business partner, and a top Chinese retail application provider.

IBM researchers in Beijing worked directly with YanSha and eFuture to deploy the YanSha Blue Engine solution which offers real-time visualized business process monitoring and management capabilities for business users. This innovative solution has successfully improved operating efficiency, lowered operating risks, optimized the structure of assets, boosted customer satisfaction and expanded new business for both the client and the business partner.

The YanSha Blue Engine and eFuture's Supply Chain Management (SCM) were key components to the integrated solution leading to over1800 (90%) of YanSha's 2000 suppliers adopting the system for order, payment and advanced shipping notice (ASN) core processes.

The YanSha Blue Engine and eFuture's Supply Chain Management (SCM) were key components to the integrated solution. 1800 (90%) of YanSha's 2000 suppliers use the system for order, payment and advanced shipping notice (ASN) core processes.

"This access to IBM's world-class research arm will give us opportunities to stimulate new thinking," said Rose Harr, CEO, BlueWare. "Working together, we will have a chance to develop integrated solutions that neither company could do on its own and will help us accelerate healthcare industry-specific innovation."

Qualified Business Partners can contact IBM Research through the PWIN website: www.ibm.com/isv