Oracle and IDA collaborate for local talent development

By Enterprise Innovation Editors | Dec 31, 2009

Thumbnail: 

Oracle Singapore, in collaboration with Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), today established the Enterprise Fusion Innovation cenTer (E-FIT), which will leverage Oracle’s R&D expertise to support key national development projects, collaborate on industry projects, and build enterprise software development talent among tertiary institutions in Singapore.

E-FIT is part of IDA’s Next Generation Innovation Centers (NGICs) initiative which aims to realize Singapore’s iN2015 vision, encouraging innovation diversity in Singapore and helping to build a vibrant infocomm eco-system.

“We are very pleased that global software companies such as Oracle find Singapore a compelling location for such R&D initiatives. The setting up of Oracle’s Enterprise Fusion Innovation center (E-FIT) as a Next Generation Innovation Centre will help to drive the development of more innovative solutions to catalyse growth in user industries such as digital media, healthcare and education. This in turn adds to the vibrancy of the Singapore infocomm ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration,” said RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer, IDA.

E-FIT will be a platform for developing innovative solutions for industry clusters like Digital Media (including Television, Film and Animation production), Next Generation broadband networks, Healthcare, Education and Government sectors.

E-FIT will collaborate with local infocomm industry partners to develop, pilot and commercialize these solutions for the worldwide market using Service Oriented Architecture, Cloud and Grid Computing, Enterprise Security and Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies.

“Oracle’s E-FIT program presents a unique opportunity for both Oracle and Singapore to leverage Oracle's Research & Development expertise for unique national development projects and to closely link Singapore’s IT developers to Oracle’s extensive innovation networks in Silicon Valley and around the world,” said Kevin Walsh, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Oracle Asia Research and Development Centers.
“Throughout our 32-year history, Oracle has been focused on helping businesses worldwide innovate. Today’s announcement is testament to our commitment to spur innovation, collaborate with local infocomm companies to create world-class enterprise software solutions and in the process, develop new capabilities and intellectual properties,” said Frank Koo, Managing Director, Oracle Singapore.

Singapore’s universities and polytechnics will be linked to Oracle’s R&D innovation network through the E-FIT initiative, building a pool of talent capable of leveraging advanced technologies. This will be through internships offered to Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Nanyang Technological University undergraduates, with plans to add other tertiary institutions at a later date.

Selected tertiary students will have the opportunity to work with Oracle’s team of developers on national and other global R&D projects.

Over 400 tertiary students are expected to benefit from E-FIT over the next 3 years.