Blackberry maker RIM to set up first Innovation Zone in India

BANGALORE: Canadian phonemaker Research In Motion and Kerala based business incubator Startup Village on Thursday announced plans to launch the first BlackBerry Innovation Zone in India.

Located at Rubus Labs within Startup Village, the innovation Zone will be the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, the company said in a statement.

"Rubus Labs is designed to foster the spirit of innovation in the minds of young entrepreneurs and students in India," said Mr Alec Saunders, Vice President of Developer Relations and Ecosystems Development, Research In Motion.

The labs will play host to developer activities such as BlackBerry Hackathons and Bar Camps. Training sessions will be conducted across 126 engineering colleges in Kerala under the BlackBerry BASE (BlackBerry Apps by Student Entrepreneurs) program, the company said.

"Rubus Labs will also serve as an experiential zone for school children to introduce them to the world of smartphones," said Sijo Kuruvilla George, CEO, Startup Village.

Earlier this month, the Canadian government had said that it was keen to enter into partnerships with the Kochi based business incubator. The village, mentored by Infosys co-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan offers a three year tax holiday to investors.