USC, National Instruments sign LabVIEW Academy partnership

National Instruments (NI), the provider of systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, has entered into a strategic partnership with the University of San Carlos (USC) to establish the first LabVIEW Academy in Central Visayas.

The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Rigney Hall in USC Talamban Campus last Wednesday.

NI LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment that delivers hands-on learning and supports research applications. Enabled in partnership with institutions of higher learning, the LabVIEW Academy program provides a comprehensive curriculum tool and solutions for educators who want their students to learn the NI LabVIEW System design software and gain competitive advantage when they graduate.

The LabVIEW Academy at USC aims to promote more LabVIEW trained and certified developers and engineers to support the local Electronics and Electrical Engineering industry. In addition, the LabVIEW Academy facilitates greater research collaboration between NI and USC and supports the University’s focus on talent development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and world-class training.

Fr. Dionisio Miranda, SVD, President of University of San Carlos, said the LabVIEW Academy “can only enhance USC’s commitment to produce engineers whose mission is to address urgent human issues (Devotio) through ethical means (Virtus) based on solid training and skillful ingenuity (Scientia).”

Under the new MOU, USC will now have access to LabVIEW Academic Software Teaching Licences and support LabVIEW-certified instructors in conducting courses using LabVIEW.

“National Instruments is delighted to welcome University of San Carlos in the LabVIEW Academy Programme, joining other academic institutions worldwide in empowering engineers and innovators with industry-leading tools,” said Mr Matej Krajnc, Managing Director for ASEAN and ANZ, National Instruments.

“Innovators, engineers and scientists around the world use LabVIEW and it continues to set the standard in graphical programming. Engineering graduates who are LabVIEW-trained and certified would possess a strong competitive edge when they enter the workforce or decide to become entrepreneurs whether in the Philippines or abroad,” he added.

Buoyed by the strong performance of industries such as manufacturing and semiconductor and electronics, the Philippine economy has grown fast and steady in recent years. From April to June 2016, the Philippines posted a 7 percent growth in GDP, making it the fastest growing economy in Asia for the second quarter.

Cebu City, which is the second largest city and fastest growing economy in the Philippines, is home to nine special economic zones and the base of over 80 percent of inter-island domestic and international shipping in the Philippines.

“Cebu’s economic track record and productivity would not have been possible without innovative and highly skilled professionals. USC has been producing some of the best engineers in the region and we are delighted to be their partner in growing the next generation of industry leaders,” Kranjc said.

Since 1976, NI has made it possible for engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges with powerful, flexible technology solutions that accelerate productivity and drive rapid innovation. Customers from a wide variety of industries— from healthcare to automotive and from consumer electronics to particle physics— use NI’s integrated hardware and software platform to improve the world we live in.