SMART sponsors new research program on collaborative technologies at universities across Canada
Researchers investigate the technological and social challenges of computer-supported collaboration
Calgary, AB --- December 1, 2004 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces its sponsorship of the Network for Effective Collaboration Technologies through Advanced Research (NECTAR), a new Science and Engineering Research Canada network whose goal is to develop technologies that support how people communicate and work together in different environments. As one of two major corporate sponsors, SMART will contribute CDN$250,000 to the program, which is also funded by the government of Canada. NECTAR's research will be carried out by internationally known researchers at six universities, including the universities of Toronto, British Columbia, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Dalhousie and Queen's. Researchers will study people's communication habits in a number of organizational settings that support face-to-face interaction and compare those habits when using collaborative technologies. The findings will help technology developers create groupware products and infrastructure that make this assisted communication more effective and natural.
SMART is the global market leader in interactive whiteboards and holds a number of patents for technology and innovations in the United States and around the world. It introduced the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard in 1991 as a tool for facilitating group collaboration, and in 2003, SMART launched Bridgit™ conferencing software, an easy-to-use software that allows people with Internet connections to collaborate over distance. SMART invests in the research and development of its own products and plays a leadership role in the larger research community by funding programs, and lending technology resources and expertise to a number of external projects focusing on group collaboration.
“As the world economy intensifies the need for effective collaboration and communication over distance, NECTAR's findings and similar research will shape the way we communicate and the tools we use,” says David Martin, SMART's chairman and co-CEO, and NECTAR board member. “SMART's involvement as a major sponsor reflects its support of the research community in developing practical tools and its belief in research and development as the foundation for growth.”
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For more information, please contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.3337 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
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