Infosys announced a partnership with the University of Southern California (USC), one of the world's leading private research universities, to work closely with the Center of Global Supply Chain Management (CGSCM) at the University's Marshall School of Business. CGSCM will focus on advancing global supply chain management through three core activities-establishing a robust industry network, offering a variety of education programs and performing advanced research.

Supply Chain Management is a growing field and accounts for USD 10 trillion or roughly 14% of the Gross World Product-the United States alone will need over 1,000,000 qualified professionals in this field by 2016. USC Marshall's CGSCM will offer the first globally integrated Master's program on supply chain management aligned to its mission of NEAR (Networking, Education and Advanced Research).

Rakhi Makad, Industry Principal, Infosys and program director from Infosys for USC Marshall CGSCM, said, ''Working closely with manufacturing companies around the world, Infosys has developed a unique insight into today's highly complex supply chains. We also have our sights set on how companies will best manage and optimize their supply chains in the future. CGSCM will offer students an opportunity to learn from professors and business leaders and solve real business problems. Our partnership with the USC Marshall School of Business will allow us to bring together some of the brightest minds spanning academia and the industry to help shape the future of the industry.''