BEIJING; Feb. 15, 2012 - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) is expanding its global research and development capabilities by opening a new R&D lab in Beijing, China.
The focus of the Accenture Technology Lab in Beijing is to conduct research on emerging technologies and explore innovative ways to address the market needs and challenges of businesses and governments in China and countries in the Asia Pacific region. Bringing its 20 years of global R&D experience and practices to the region, Accenture has recruited a local team of scientists and researchers that will leverage the global R&D network to innovate new solutions and products across a range of industries. The new lab was established and is being led by Accenture Chief Scientist Dr. Kishore Swaminathan.
"Accenture has a long history in China and the opening of the Beijing technology lab reinforces our commitment to serve businesses and government agencies in the region," said Gong Li, chairman of Accenture Greater China. "Innovation has been a key theme in China's five-year plan and we look forward to serving as a long-term technology partner in support of the country's development. Accenture is well-positioned to help lead innovations that address local market challenges in areas such as energy, health, education, urbanization, logistics and other critical issues."
"Many of the technology solutions we have developed around the world are based on innovation and leading-edge R&D coming from our labs," said Kevin Campbell, group chief executive of Technology at Accenture. "The Beijing technology lab we're unveiling today is focused primarily on developing practical innovations that are piloted and tested and can be implemented quickly by clients to improve business performance and outcomes."
One of the initial areas of focus for the Beijing lab is to explore how smart grid technologies can be applied to help address China's growing energy demands. With a government mandate to reduce carbon emission levels by developing low carbon technologies, smart grid development has become a national strategy. The Tech Lab is already engaged in R&D activities to explore best technology options and leading business applications, such as advanced analytics and mass data processing, to help Chinese utilities develop a smart, flexible and strong electric grid to meet its energy needs well into the future.
"The Beijing lab represents a strategic investment for Accenture and is part of a continued effort to develop our global innovation and R&D capabilities," said Dr. Gavin Michael, chief technology innovation officer for Accenture and global lead for the Accenture Technology Labs.
Beijing is the newest location in the Accenture global network of Technology Labs, which also includes: San Jose, California; Bangalore, India; Sophia Antipolis, France; and, Washington, D.C. The Beijing lab also joins Accenture's broader network of innovation centers - more than 80 of them around the world. These include co-innovation centers with Accenture's most important global alliance partners such as SAP AG, Oracle and Cisco, while others are client industry-focused technology centers. Accenture has also created a product innovation lab with Telstra in Australia, which is designed to develop cloud computing solutions.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 244,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
Accenture Technology Labs, the technology research and development (R&D) organization within Accenture, has been turning technology innovation into business results for 20 years. Our R&D team explores new and emerging technologies to create a vision of how technology will shape the future and invent the next wave of cutting-edge business solutions.
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