MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines? ?fearlessness? in trying out new technologies and the support that technology firms get from the government and the academe have prompted computing giant IBM to infuse more investment dollars into the country.
In an interview, IBM developer relations general manager James Corgel said the Philippines, particularly Quezon City, was one of only 40 locations worldwide to be chosen to host an IBM Innovation Center, precisely because of the country?s conducive technology environment.
?There?s a willingness to cooperate among government, universities and local players, and a willingness to do new things. There?s also a huge growth potential, as shown by the growth in Internet use in the country,? he said.
?Our decision to choose the Philippines was also driven by the country general manager (James Velasquez), who was aggressive enough in saying that he wants a center here and here are the reasons,? he added.
The IBM Innovation Center at the University of the Philippines-Ayala Land Techno Hub aims to provide small and medium businesses a venue to test their applications before releasing these to market, as well as a chance to network with other businesses in various Innovation Center locations around the globe.
Corgel said the establishment of the Innovation Center in the Philippines was part of IBM?s strategy of ?localizing before globalizing.?
?The Innovation Center is meant for the local market. There?s a need to provide education to the local business community, and we can do that through the center. People are curious, so we?re giving them a physical place where they could learn,? he explained.
?It?s also a venue for technology enablement?putting knowledge to work. More important than just giving general awareness is providing the answer to the huge ?now what?? question. The Innovation Center is all about collaboration. It will help connect Philippine businesses to businesses in other countries,? he added.
Through the Innovation Center, he said local firms could go higher up the value chain and come out with more complex, relevant and profitable offerings.
