Business News
Xerox Launches Innovation Hub in India
Wednesday 17. March 2010 - Companys first research initiative in an emerging market taps insights, experience of Indian academics, researchers and customers
A central concept behind “open innovation” is not only to have ideas yourself, but also to know where and when to learn from someone else. Xerox Corporations (NYSE:XRX) new research facility – the Xerox India Innovation Hub – will bring together Xerox scientists and engineers with leading Indian academic institutions, research labs and industry partners. Its initial mission: develop document management solutions that are relevant to emerging market countries and contribute innovation to solutions and services delivery.
“The Xerox India Innovation Hub exemplifies our continued commitment to customers in the emerging markets,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group. “Creating a research facility in India allows us to make use of local knowledge and to extend that expertise to our global initiatives.”
Located in the city of Chennai, the India Hub will enable Xerox to expand and build on the strong partnerships the company already has in place with Indias top technical and business schools. Research will leverage Xeroxs world-class expertise in imaging, data mining, smart document management, linguistics, and ethnography with the latest technologies and trends such as cloud and web computing, human computation, social networks and computational economics.
“Open Innovation is at the core of how we conduct research not only at the Xerox India Innovation Hub, but also at Xerox research centers around the world,” said Meera Sampath, director of the Xerox India Innovation Hub. “Linking the talent in India with Xeroxs 500 scientists at our centers in the U.S., Canada and France will allow us to leverage the power of truly global innovation networks and engage in cutting-edge research to create unique value for our customers around the world.”
Some of the on-going research projects include:
Multiscale Document Services – Xerox will partner with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to use on-demand cloud computing to improve efficiency and economics of document services delivery.
Distributed Workflow Applications – In partnership with IIT Madrass Rural Technology Business Incubator, Xerox is developing innovative solutions to improve workflow at small technology-based businesses in rural India.
Incentive Compatible Machine Learning for Services – In conjunction with the Indian Institute of Science, this project focuses on how machine learning and game theory principles can be combined to improve the performance of online service market places.
“A true partnership is one where both parties bring valuable contributions,” said professor Timothy Gonsalves, director IIT Mandi, and former head of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, IIT Madras. “Xerox is a company recognized for its innovation and leading-edge research. Students and professors of IIT Madras and IITM’s Rural Technology Business Incubator have benefited tremendously by working closely with Xerox researchers on business challenges specific to India.”
The hub will continue to develop similar partnerships with Indias top technical and scientific talent, and is actively seeking collaborators and research personnel. Student fellowship and internship programs also complement the open innovation partnerships.
In addition to the hub, Xerox plans to open a Xerox technology showroom adjacent to its India headquarters near Delhi later this year, where Xerox customers and partners in India and surrounding regions will be able to see the newest technology developments from Xerox research centers around the world. The showroom also will support the Xerox Innovation Groups Customer Led Innovation program and help researchers in India learn more about local customer needs and challenges.