| Anil Menon, vice-president (marketing) of IBM in India, told Business Standard that last year the company saw a participation of 121 teams of students from Kerala. |
| "This year, we expect last year's record being surpassed in the state. Student teams from 61 colleges from Kerala have already registered for the contest," he said. |
| The contest would be open for all faculty and students of engineering colleges and MCA colleges across India, including metros and small towns. |
| Though India currently accounts for 28 per cent of IT/BPO talent among 28 low-cost countries, it has been pointed out that the country would need a 2.3-million-strong workforce by 2010 to maintain the current market share. |
| "Through this challenge, IBM hopes to create opportunities for student to work on real time projects and train them to be fit for the industry," he added. |
| The top 20 projects by the participating teams will be hosted on the internet to be used without charge by end users and IBM business partners . |
| IBM, which is expected to triple its investment in India, from $2 billion to nearly $6 billion in the next three years, has unveiled the initiative to provide a chance to all students to work on IBM technologies and get to work on industry relevant projects. |
| "It is also an opportunity for students, faculty and institutions to win rewards and recognition at the national level,"Menon added. |
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