indra inaugurates the ii edition of the future minds international university competition based on new technologies and multiculturalism

Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America, has inaugurated the second edition of the Future Minds International university competition, based on multiculturalism and the new peers production model using information technologies.

In this second edition, students from different universities of Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, The Philippines and The Czech Republic will compete. There will be 14 teams in total consisting of 3 students each and a fourth reserve student, all completing the last year of their degrees and chosen by the entity taking into account their student records, competences and skills.

In the framework of the Future Minds Competition students will have to tackle the current challenges of the entrepreneurial world, such as working with peer production tools in virtual environments or develop skills other than technical qualification like team work in a multicultural context.

They will have to solve different dilemmas based on real projects of Indra, ranging from the design of a cloud computing solution or of a simulator to optimise water management or several projects in the area of unmanned vehicles (UAVs).

The competition prize consists of the opportunity to join the IT multinational in the subsidiary of the country of the student's choice upon completion of the degree. This way, students will gain international experience at the very start of their professional career to shape up a global profile which is nowadays very much in demand.

Virtual phase with access to So.cl

The first phase, of a virtual character, will take place from 15 of February to 15 of March, using a state-of-the-art platform with restricted access. It was developed by Indra with Microsoft technology and will facilitate communication, team work, videoconference, information exchange and contact with Indra's staff in charge of the dilemma.

Students will also be able to collaborate and have access to shared resources in So.cl, Microsoft's new social network for the student world. So far it is only available in Beta version for three U.S. universities. This way, Indra joins the universities of Washington, Syracuse and New York in this experimental project of Microsoft Research FUSE Labs in the framework of the Future Minds Competition.

During the virtual phase, two teams of different countries will have to collaborate in an international scenario to solve one of the proposed dilemmas.

This way, the university students will be given the opportunity to get acquainted with the new relation methods in the entrepreneurial world, use cutting-edge technology and collaborate in real time with people from different countries, that is, in a corporate environment very similar to that of global firms nowadays.

Video voting in Indra's website

Videos showing the solution to the first dilemmas will be uploaded on Indra's website www.indracompany.com for students to vote. The objective is to publish the evolution of the contest and to get the university community involved.  Indra's profile in social networks such as twitter and facebook will also promote participation. The voting period will last for five weeks, from 22 of March to the 25 of April.

Two of these multicultural teams will classify for the final phase which will take place on the 26 and 27 of April in Madrid, where they will compete on site and will be organised into the individual teams defined by the university. The last phase will combine recreational and more knowledge oriented activities including the solution to dilemmas. Students of all four teams who have entered this phase will receive a tablet as a gift.

In this second edition of Future Minds Competition the following universities will participate: The Technical University of Madrid and The Autonomous University of Madrid, Carlos III University and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, in Spain; The Facultade de Sao Paulo, Brazil; The National Technological University, Argentina; The National Autonomous University, Mexico; The University of the Philippines; The National University of Engineering, Peru; The University of the Andes, Colombia; and The VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, of the Czech Republic.
 

Talent management in Indra

As a technology, innovative and global company, Indra seeks to offer students an international experience using virtual tools.

For Indra to gather, retain and manage the talent and diversity are key elements to innovation and sustainability and therefore a strategic priority. The company maintains relations with around 150 universities and research centres mainly through Chairs, agreements and R&D+i projects in order to attract professionals and gain access to new technologies to become an international benchmark in terms of enterprise-university technology transfer.

Indra's good practices regarding talent management have helped the company to become one of the leading companies in sustainability worldwide. The company appeared listed for the sixth consecutive year in the Dow Jones sustainability index. 

Indra

Indra is the premier Information Technology company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America. It is ranked as the second European company in its sector according to investment in R&D with over € 500 M during the last three years. In 2010 revenues reached € 2,557 M and the international market already accounts for a 44%. The company employs more than 35,000 professionals and has clients in more than 110 countries.