First 10 grants

Good news! We now have at least 10 grants pledged (maybe more). Its probably time to discuss the mechanics of awarding the grants. Personally, I would like donors to have some ability to award grants based on some kind of special focus. Areas that I (and my companies) am interested in are :

• Human Factors Engineering - Mostly dealing with advanced UI design, the ability to collect user feedback and a process for continous improvement. AJAX is changing the way people develop Web UI and I believe its important to develop disciplines around good web application usability.
  
• Community Oriented IP - Also known as Open Source Software development. I believe that it would be great for the academe to break down the process of software development from the open source communities and teach the best practices to students.
• Connected Software Development - Web 2.0 and Mash up concepts are changing the software development process. This model requires a completely different mindset from a programmer's standpoint.

In addition to the grant, I am eager to get the academe to take part in real world situations through Exist Global's work synergy program. Grantees will also have the opportunity to get advanced training and exposure to relevant conferences worldwide.

Above all. I think that these areas are the "Coolest Areas" to work on. I believe that it will capture a lot of interest from students and get their mind about "what can be" as they think about their future careers. Its important for the Philippine IT to get ahead of the curve. Lets be world class !

If you are interested to be considered for the grant - Please comment to this post and we'll get the ball rolling.