IBM BOOK LAUNCH

Sourced from the University of Ballarat website, 18 November 2008

A new book on IBM’s relationship with the University of Ballarat was launched on Tuesday, 18 November 2008.

Dr John Harvey, IBM’S Global Investment executive, Asia Pacific, launched his book, Transition: the IBM story at the Greenhill Enterprise Centre, University Drive, Mt Helen.

Dr John Harvey commented that the origins of IBM’s IT services centre investment in Ballarat could be traced back to 1999 when IBM Australia acted on its plans to achieve the vision of becoming Australia’s leading IT services exporter.

“IBM had already begun a drive to recognise its worldwide IT services operations with the consolidation of a number of its global centres. Clearly IBM in Australia needed to follow that same approach,” Dr Harvey said.

“However, by 2000 IBM knew that there were two principle issues to be addressed for IBM to become internationally competitive in IT services in Australia; labour supply and labour cost.”

“To address both of these issues it was obvious that a close partnership needed to be developed with a university in a regional location. The first regional location chosen was Ballarat.

“The first regional IBM IT services centre in Australia started operations in 2003 in the University of Ballarat’s Technology Park. By 2008, the IBM headcount in the centre had grown to more than 800 full and part-time personnel.”

On 27 August this year, the City of Ballarat, the University of Ballarat, the Victorian Government and IBM announced an agreement to construct a new building at Ballarat.

This new major site will enable the employment of more than 1000 full and part-time IBM employees within the University of Ballarat’s Technology Park.

The collaboration and cooperation between the University of Ballarat and IBM has shown how a university and a global company working together can achieve an outstanding outcome in a regional environment to the benefit of all parties.

Given the major contribution the IT services centre has made to IBM and the equal benefits it has conferred to the university and the local economy, it can be argued that the relationship that exists between IBM and the University of Ballarat is one of the most successful university-industry partnerships in Australia.

Professor David Battersby, Vice-Chancellor, said the University was proud of its long-standing relationship with IBM.

“IBM has been a major tenant of the University of Ballarat Technology Park for 13 years,” Professor Battersby said.

“We are proud of our relationship with IBM and what IBM has done for the City and the region. The IBM Story provides a fascinating insight into why IBM decided to come to Ballarat.

“Dr John Harvey’s book expertly plots the development and fruition of the relationship between UB and IBM. The book also offers a major contribution to the understanding of regional development in Australia.

click here to view the photo gallery from the book launch