Center of Excellence

The Center of Excellence program is the premier showcase demonstrating partnership between Sun, educational institutions, and a third party. A Center of Excellence is a formalized, documented relationship between Global Education and Research, the educational institution, and the third party. All parties involved in the Center of Excellence will bring to the partnership a special expertise of strategic importance to Sun. Typically, the relationship will span anywhere from 1 to 3 years in length, and will vary according to the nature of the goals and objectives of the Center and the educational institution. » Share your interest in becoming a COE

What is a Center of Excellence?

A Center of Excellence is a formalized, documented relationship between Global Education and Research, the educational institution, and the third party. All parties involved in the Center of Excellence will bring to the partnership a special expertise of strategic importance to Sun. Typically, the relationship will span anywhere from 1 to 3 years in length, and will vary according to the nature of the goals and objectives of the Center and the educational institution.

Where is a Center of Excellence?

A Center of Excellence can represent either a physical place on the campus of an educational institution or a virtual space on the Internet. It will provide a unique opportunity to showcase Sun technology in use, demonstrating how such technology can improve learning in the classroom and/or the administrative functions of an institution. Ultimately, the Center of Excellence will serve as the producer of content for public consumption.

Value Proposition

For the educational institution, a commitment to Sun's Center of Excellence program distinguishes it as being advanced in its use of information technology. It further provides the institution with expanded opportunities for partnership with both the Global Education and Research group and the third party. This might include, but is not limited to, senior-level relationships, recruiting opportunities, joint event participation, etc. A Center of Excellence may experience increased leverage with funding agencies as business and education partnerships are increasingly becoming prerequisites for grant funding. As a Center of Excellence, the institution will participate in a web-based community of institutions doing work in similar areas. This community will foster communication and further enhance relations between institutions. Finally, the institution may be eligible for favorable pricing on Sun products to be used in the Center.

Are there special requirements for a Center of Excellence?

Third Party
A third party must always be engaged in the relationship. This party may be an internal Sun co-sponsor or a customer (industry partner or educational institution).

Focus
With a focus on technology, industry, or community, each Center of Excellence will draw upon the expertise of the partners involved to showcase groundbreaking activities and to promote Sun technologies. Positive consideration will be made for applications in the following areas: Open Solaris, Sun Java Enterprise System, Identity Management, Security, Industry specific applications of Sun technology, Developer/Developer Labs, High Performance Computing, Data Center, Data Management, Desktop, Managed Services, Web Services, and/or Solaris on X86.

Engagement Process

Working in partnership with your Sun sales representative, your institution will engage 3rd party, and assess technology needs. Together with your sales representative your institution will complete the Center of Excellence proposal. If awarded Center of Excellence status a contract will be drafted by Sun Microsystems, Inc. and your institution will join an elite group of universities spanning the globe conducting cutting edge research in partnership with Sun. To get started, contact your Sun Sales Representative or contact COE Program Manager

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Join the Community Discussion

Visit Sun Centers of Excellence in action at the Education Commons, a Sun-sponsored community designed to foster open innovation in education.

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