SolidWorks Corporation announces engineering contest for India

Passion for Design contest to let students, CAD professionals highlight engineering skills

NEW DELHI, India, June 05, 2006 — SolidWorks Corporation today announced that it is organizing a design contest to showcase India’s engineering talents. Named Passion for Design, the contest will feature students and CAD professionals using SolidWorks^® software to design a variety of products that could improve everyday life. SolidWorks CEO John McEleney will announce the winners at SolidWorks World India 2006 in Bangalore on Aug. 29, 2006.

National Association of Software and Services (NASSCOM), the premier trade body and “voice” of the IT software and service industry in India, will extend support to the contest by creating interest and awareness among the engineering student community through its IT Workforce Development Initiative. This initiative seeks to boost the country’s IT workforce by marrying the expertise, resources, and opportunities from leaders in the IT industry and academia.

Aimed at promoting India’s growing pool of skilled engineers, the Passion for Design contest will focus on designing products for energy development, life enhancement, and handicap assistance. The top three students and top three CAD professionals will win over $20,000 in cash and prizes, including internship at SolidWorks & engineering services companies, SolidWorks software and HP workstations.

“Today, the Indian IT landscape is mature and has tremendous potential even in niche areas like engineering services,” said NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik. “The current market potential for outsourced engineering services is estimated at between $7-12 billion, and Indiais emerging as a strong resource for global partners. NASSCOM is a keen promoter of industry efforts such as this contest, which create a favorable environment for innovation, and nurture the young talent which is one of India’s strongest advantages.”

The contest will give engineering students a chance to immerse themselves in real-world design projects that could eventually become a commercial reality. It also gives professional engineers a chance to demonstrate their skills for a broad audience and potentially contribute to life-improving products.

 “India is a goldmine of largely untapped engineering talent,” said SolidWorks Vice President Asia Pacific Operations Ved Narayan. “We’ve created this contest to allow students, professional engineers, and their companies to exhibit their mastery of CAD while working on real-world projects that could make a difference.”

Registration
Registration is free. Interested students can request a free copy of SolidWorks Education Edition software and engineers can request a free copy of SolidWorks Personal Edition software to work on their entries. For more information, log on to www.solidworksap.com/passionfordesign.

 About NASSCOM
NASSCOM is India’s National Association of Software and Service Companies, the premier trade body and ‘voice’ of the IT software and services industry in. NASSCOM is a truly global trade body with around 1050 members, of which nearly 150 are global companies. NASSCOM’s member companies are in the business of software development, software services, and IT-enabled/BPO services. For more information, visit www.nasscom.org.India   

 About SolidWorks Corporation
SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, providing intuitive, high-performing software that helps product design teams develop great products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).