University Researchers Collaborate via Cisco TelePresence to Foster Open Innovation

SAN JOSE, Calif., October 28, 2008 - Cisco today announced that it has developed a unique research program that will provide several of the nation's top research universities with Cisco® TelePresence Systems to foster ongoing collaboration and more open innovation. The Cisco TelePresence University Connection enables university researchers to increase the frequency of "in-person" collaboration with colleagues at other universities, helping speed new developments and improve ongoing research collaboration.

Cisco TelePresence is a virtual meeting solution that breaks down the barriers of distance by creating a lifelike virtual meeting experience where participants feel as though they are sitting in the same room though they may be thousands of miles apart. Through the Cisco TelePresence University Connection program, companies and individuals who have access to one of the many Cisco TelePresence rooms installed worldwide or who are located near a Cisco TelePresence Public Suite will be able to meet face to face with top researchers.

"University researchers are a critical component of Cisco's innovation strategy and provide us with a direct pulse on the next wave of technology," said Doug Comer, vice president of Cisco Research. "The ability to push a button and immediately connect in-person with three or four researchers at different universities creates a unique flow of information not previously possible using traditional methods of collaboration. We believe this is an important step in fostering an open, more collaborative research environment for innovation in the 21st century and beyond."

The Cisco TelePresence University Connection program is a research initiative funded by Cisco that provides selected universities with Cisco TelePresence System endpoints and services so that groups or individuals can meet around a virtual table.

"Cisco TelePresence will be an excellent addition to the tools we use in our interactions with faculty from other universities and representatives from industry around the world," said Aditya Mathur, department head and professor of computer science at Purdue. "Purdue is a global university with students from over 100 countries and with study abroad programs in over 100 universities outside of the US. The Cisco TelePresence University Connection program offers us a unique opportunity to greatly improve the quality of our interactions with our global partners."

Universities currently participating in Cisco TelePresence University Connection include Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Purdue University, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Diego, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information on Cisco TelePresence, please visit www.cisco.com/go/telepresence.

Supporting Resources:

Cisco TelePresence Public Suites

Cisco Web Site

Cisco TelePresence

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Images:

Cisco TelePresence System 500

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Video:

Cisco Launches Public TelePresence Suites

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