12/07-10   -   Press releases

IBM supports TEDGlobal 2010: A global community of thinkers

IBM (NYSE: IBM) partner TEDGlobal in the UK for the second year, helping provide a platform for thought leaders and collaborative innovation to help make the world work better.

TED, (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit set up to share ´ideas worth spreading´, something IBM supports through its vision to build a smarter planet. The TEDGlobal conference brings together inspirational thought leaders and visionaries from around the world, providing a platform to discuss technology entertainment and design for the future. The legendary TED Talks are made freely available on-line so that millions of people can gain a better understanding of the biggest issues faced by the world, and share a desire to help create a better future.

´And now for the good news´ is the theme of this year´s TEDGlobal conference and IBM is proud to support the growing global community of great thinkers and visionaries discussing important issues for the future. IBM´s vision to help build a smarter planet focuses on how individuals, businesses and organisations across all industries can come together to help make the world work better.

To support and facilitate collaborative innovation, IBM will also be supporting the TED Fellows. The TED fellowship programme aims to bring together world-changers of the future who have shown outstanding passion and innovation to make a real difference. This year the range of projects and achievements include an organisation providing up and coming researchers around the word with laboratory equipment; an ecologist and entrepreneur trained in the science of interconnections and environmental sustainability; a Kenyan business woman pioneering organic food industry in Nairobi slums; and even an aircraft engineer who, at 24, built a homemade helicopter out of old car and bike parts.

IBM supports the fellows to extend their network through TED and provides a social space to build relationships and share ideas and information within the TEDGlobal conference. The IBM area at TEDGlobal will also help inspire innovation by showing a cutting edge project from IBM Research, demonstrating what is possible around sustainability and electric vehicles. IBM will host a first of its kind exhibition on EDISON (Electric vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks). IBM joined the EDISON research consortium, a Denmark-based collaborative aimed at developing an intelligent infrastructure that will make possible the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles powered by sustainable energy.

This positive attitude towards innovation, sustainability and making the world work better is something IBM is driving through various initiatives. In September IBM will also be hosting a 9 day business summit at START on behalf HRH The Prince of Wales, to bring together hundreds of thought leaders and business leaders to drive change around sustainability and help build a smarter planet.