Planet NI Program to Benefit Small and Medium Enterprises in Eight Additional Developing Countries

AUSTIN, Texas, July 16, 2012  /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights

• The eight new countries joining the SME Benefit Program are Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, the Philippines, Cameroon and Nigeria.
• The SME Benefit Program, as part of Planet NI, is designed to nurture local innovation and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs developing products and services that improve their communities.
• The program includes a wide range of support activities, including technical consulting, reduced pricing on NI tools, access to world-class training and technical support. 

National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) today announced that it is expanding its Planet NI SME Benefit Program to eight new countries around the world. NI is committed to nurturing local innovation and entrepreneurship, and, through Planet NI, the company is making engineering tools affordable, accessible and relevant to groups in emerging countries that focus on making a difference in their communities. These groups include SMEs, academic institutions and organizations creating environmental and health solutions.

Because SMEs make up more than two-thirds of the local economy in many emerging regions, their success contributes greatly to sustainable economic development. The program has been very successful in countries such as India and Mexico, where Planet NI has helped more than 200 SMEs thrive since the program's inception four years ago. Companies currently active in the program are developing products for rural villages, designing specialized machines for local industries and building solar-powered systems.

Quote

"Engineering startup companies in developing countries often lack the funds to acquire cutting-edge technologies, which puts them at a significant disadvantage," said Victor Mieres, vice president of sales and marketing for Asia and chairman of the board of Planet NI. "The skills and expertise of the engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs in these regions continues to impress us, and, through Planet NI, we can provide qualifying companies with NI technology to empower this local engineering talent and support innovation."

Click to Tweet: New from @NIGlobal: Planet NI is helping #engineering startups in 8 new developing countries #CorporateResponsibility http://bit.ly/ND8LGt

Planet NI is an initiative designed to empower engineers and students in developing countries to achieve economic prosperity and sustainable development through access to NI technology. To learn more about the Planet NI program, visit www.ni.com/planetni.

About National Instruments

Since 1976, National Instruments (www.ni.com) has equipped engineers and scientists with tools that accelerate productivity, innovation and discovery. NI's graphical system design approach to engineering provides an integrated software and hardware platform that speeds the development of any system needing measurement and control. The company's long-term vision and focus on improving society through its technology supports the success of its customers, employees, suppliers and shareholders.

National Instruments, NI, ni.com and Planet NI are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Editor Contact: Sarah Beck, (512) 683-5126

SOURCE National Instruments