For example, Sun's research collaboration with the University of Wisconsin has led to 16 joint patents in system and memory architecture technologies. Sun also provides universities with equipment grants and helps nurture student entrepreneurial plans through its Campus Incubation Program. And through its support of the Cisco Network Academy, Sun will help train thousands of students in Solaris and UNIX fundamentals, starting in the fall. It's enlightened self-interest on our part. We need access to highly skilled people to give us a competitive edge.
Universities are also engines for new business opportunities.
That's why we are encouraging students to learn new skills on Sun platforms and eventually run their businesses on our platforms. Universities in Denmark and Germany are among the early users of the Sun Fire Midframe servers, which Sun announced last month. Distance Learning Russell Altendorff, director of Information Systems at the London Business School, described how his campus has launched a global MBA program. Morgridge pointed out that the Cisco Network Academy, launched in 1997, now reaches nearly 200,000 students in 117 countries. The academy teaches students networking and IT skills, reaching them in traditional schools, as well as in churches, youth-detention centers, homeless shelters and, in South Dakota, an Indian reservation.