The South San Francisco-based business intelligence (BI) software maker is collaborating with the Tsinghua University to drive research into BI software. Actuate announced it has signed a so-called memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University’s Research Institute of IT (RIIT) wing.
In a statement issued this week, Actuate said it hoped the agreement will facilitate knowledge transfer and innovation in BI and enterprise reporting.
Both organizations will devise a joint curriculum for BI software design, with Actuate providing the necessary infrastructure in terms of software licenses, training and consulting services. As a tempter, Actuate will also offer top students internships at its US headquarters.
Actuate has chosen its partner well. Established in 1911, Tsinghua University is widely acclaimed as one of China’s top software research institutions for BI and e-government. It is also a shrewd strategy; getting bright, talented students thinking about and developing potentially new commercial applications on Actuate’s own BI platform literally free of charge.
Actuate’s CEO, Pete Cittadini, has made no secret of the company’s desire to become the number one BI vendor in Asia-Pacific. Earlier this month the company signed up Korea’s largest telco service provider as a customer. It has also set-up a development center in Shanghai and released a Chinese script version of its BI software.
