IBM opens center for business partners in Brazil

IBM has announced the opening of a new IBM Innovation Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil — a facility designed primarily for the corporation’s South American partners (startups, VCs, software vendors and academics working on products and technologies that somehow fit into IBMs core business strategy). It’s the newest of 42 centers located around the globe that offer training courses, consulting services and infrastructure to incubate ideas.

Part of the new complex is the IBM Solutions Center, where business partners can test out their applications and make connections with potential customers. According to IBM, it works with more than 1,000 of the estimated 2,000 internet service vendors in Brazil and already has valuable connections with other major players in the burgeoning tech community in Sao Paulo.

The move comes at a tenuous time for IBM, following layoffs of about 4,000 of its staff members. Incidentally, a new program launched in response to the cuts, called “Project Match,” offers those who have been downsized a chance to retain their jobs overseas in countries like Brazil, India and China (at a lower wage, of course). Basically, workers interested in this option will be put into contact with the managers at foreign IBM branches and given assistance with immigration processes and even the costs of relocation. IBM’s growth in developing countries is fairly staggering — with its headcount in India jumping from 9,000 to 53,000 between 2003 and 2007. The company also saw double-digit growth in Brazil, but it’s unclear whether any Project Match jobs will land staffers at the new Innovation Center.

Despite the layoffs, the establishment of the center in Sao Paulo is yet another indicator of IBM’s fairly strong position despite the downturn. This was also reflected in its fourth-quarter earnings released last month.

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