Ford Taps Universities for Insights on Future of In-Car Connectivity and What's Next for SYNC

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 13, 2009 -- Ford announced today that it has broadened its Advanced Research and Innovation community through open collaboration with local university professors and students on its industry-leading in-vehicle connectivity system, Ford SYNC.

Through the open innovation model, Ford is deepening its collaboration efforts in high-impact research with academia's brightest minds. As part of this initiative, Ford will receive strategic insight that will enhance the in-car experience for drivers, and drive demand for new features in Ford vehicles.

"The Ford SYNC platform is the industry standard for in-vehicle connectivity," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "By applying open innovation practices to our core fundamentals, Ford is thinking differently and reinventing the way we approach research to ensure the best minds inside and outside of Ford are delivering the products that people want."

Partnering with the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), Ford will launch a campus challenge in which students will collaborate with Ford researchers to create and enhance in-car applications and provide valuable insights into the dynamic of current driver trends. University students will be asked to evaluate the technical landscape, identify non-automotive trends, and predict new consumer directions and occurrences to help facilitate the next iteration of SYNC applications. Winning ideas from both programs have future product potential that will advance Ford's leadership in in-car technology experience.

"Collaboration with university partners is an essential part of delivering innovative ideas," states Gerhard Schmidt, Ford's chief technical officer and vice president of Research & Advanced Engineering. "We have long-standing research partnerships with some of the most prestigious universities around the world, and these two new projects will help us maintain our leadership in vehicle connectivity. I look forward to continuing these relationships and building even more."

Open innovation

Ford joins major technology and consumer electronics companies in adopting the open innovation model to help facilitate development of high-impact research and products. The auto industry has long operated within a walled garden, with very little input from outsiders. The technology industry, on the other hand, continues to push the boundaries of innovation, and the result is a thriving industry that is delivering breakthrough technologies to customers.

"The open innovation approach to developing high-impact research ensures that we are taking the right steps forward in bringing new innovations to the industry and our customers," says Venkatesh Prasad, group and technical leader of Ford's Infotronics team in Research & Advanced Engineering. "What we hope is that such collaboration will redefine the driver experience, making drivers and their vehicles connected-content generators, not just isolated travelers. There is a network effect waiting to happen, enabled by connectivity and shaped by the lead users and innovators inside and outside of Ford."

University of Detroit Mercy

This year Ford, along with UDM and Palo Alto, Calif.-based IDEO, are sponsoring the UDM/Ford Innovation Challenge. Here, all full-time students were asked to conceive a new application for SYNC that addressed an unmet customer need - no hardware or software necessary.

"We opened up the competition to students from all disciplines and expertise - from business, finance, engineering and architecture - because they all bring a unique perspective to the table when it comes to understanding consumer behavior," said Kip Ewing, program supervisor for Ford's Advanced Product Creation group. "This contest is meant to educate students on the basic operation of SYNC, and then challenge them to envision a future SYNC application that solves a consumer problem."

This announcement underscores Ford's commitment and renewed focus in bringing new innovations to the driving experience. Collaborating with universities and partners is the new blueprint for corporate research that will enable Ford to continue to build upon its leadership for in-car technology.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan program begins this fall with students beta testing Ford prototype software platforms for a winter course on embedded automotive telematics. Open to 25 to 30 students of multiple disciplines, the course will feature small teams collaborating on the Ford developmental platform and build upon its connectivity capabilities - creating social networking interfaces, accessing cloud services and mobile network management.

"Building the development platform prototype provides students with the opportunity to work closely with Ford research, get exclusive access to our product road map, and offer their suggestions on ways to enhance each new technology," said Prasad.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.