IBM Poland and the Wroclaw University of Technology on Thursday announced an agreement to establish the first university cloud computing center in Poland. As part of the partnership, the Wroclaw University of Technology will create a new academic curriculum, making cloud-focused courses available to more than 1500 students.

"The new cloud center will provide a common platform for students and professors, industry partners and government agencies to work on real solutions based on cloud computing that will align people and technology effectively, and will generate value for both services providers and clients," said Professor Czeslaw Smutnicki, director of the Institute of Computer Engineering, Control and Robotics, Wroclaw University of Technology. "We plan to start immediately with a cloud computing practice for over 500 students later this summer. The cooperation will continue in the field of education, PHD programs and research."

Cloud computing is a computing model that delivers information technology (IT) as a service over the Internet. Today, cloud computing has matured to a point where it's considered a mainstream technology service. People touch the cloud every day without knowing it -- by sending instant messages and sharing files easily between companies over the Internet, staying connected on projects with colleagues and other businesses through new social networking tools that take advantage of the ability to "come together in the cloud." A new academic curriculum based mainly on IBM Tivoli software will be developed through this initiative. The University's portfolio will be enriched with more than 10 courses available to over 1500 students, helping them gain expertise in IBM technologies and in particular in cloud computing - a skill increasingly in demand by employers in Poland.

Wroclaw University of Technology is the first university to become part of IBM's Multipurpose Cloud Computing Center. IBM's global initiative was established this year and is available to all institutes of higher learning (IHL). Its aim is not only to support the teaching at universities, but to base all daily work of the center on cloud computing solutions. IBM is committed to further develop this program with universities around the world.

"The new Wroclaw University Cloud Computing Centre will support new ways of teaching for current and emerging technologies and will introduce completely new academic courses that can prepare students to work and compete in the global world," says Pawel Panecki, Software Group Manager, IBM Poland.

IBM is consistently building its presence in Wroclaw. Last year IBM and the Polish government signed an agreement to cooperate on the creation of a new IBM IT service delivery center in Wroclaw. IBM is also cooperating with The Wroclaw Research Center, European Institute of Technology Plus (WRC EIT+) on the advancement of scientific research, especially in the area of nanotechnology, life sciences and smart technologies.