BANGALORE: IBM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Visveswaraiah Technological University (VTU) to launch the IBM University program. IBM’s university program, which is its first in India, will cover over 65 universities including the likes of IITs, IIMs, REC and BITS in Pilani and Roorkee.

The program, part of a global initiative, has been launched with the objective of imparting knowledge amongst students on IBM applications and products.

The agreement between IBM and VTU will take the program to 102 engineering colleges affiliated with VTU in Karnataka. It would enable all colleges affiliated to the VTU to incorporate educational programs on IBM software technologies to support the main course curriculum, electives or projects, within the framework of the university syllabus.

As part of the initiative, IBM will pump in the capital to provide licensed versions of cutting edge software like DB2 Universal Database, Webshpere Application Server family and Visual age for Java. In addition it will also provide faculty training and facilities for courseware development.

The software and technology that will be used in the program will be the latest that is being used globally by the scientific, business and industrial communities. Students will also be provided with an opportunity to get certification with regard to IBM software technologies that have global recognition. On completion of this program, students would be qualified to take IBM's certification tests.