In July 2008, Cisco and the Government of China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a partnership for building replicable, scalable, and sustainable models of 21st century healthcare and education in earthquake-stricken areas of Sichuan.

The Education initiative

• Creating a Sichuan model for Education by providing tools, technology and training in targeted primary and secondary schools
• Bridging the urban and rural educational divide through technology innovation and training, built on Cisco and partner technologies and expertise
• Creating a new process for teacher professional development and new teacher training; partnering with leading higher education institutions to create the next create the next wave of content, pedagogy and curriculum

The Healthcare initiative

• Build the foundation for the Chinese Government’s “Health 2020” and Health Reform
• Leverage multiple resources to resolve pressing health needs in Sichuan
• Develop mobile solution on disease surveillance and training and multi-hub open telehealth network for regional and national connected hospitals
• Create sustainable and innovative health IT models for replication

Cisco in China

In April 2008, Cisco announced the next phase of its corporate strategy for China, marked by new public-private collaborative programs within the country that deliver upon its US $16 billion multi-year innovation and sustainability initiative announced in late 2007.

Cisco first established operations in China in 1994 and now employs more than 3,000 staff in sales, customer support and service, research and development and manufacturing. The company has 12 offices in China , a major R&D facility in Shanghai, Scientific Atlanta R&D and manufacturing facilities, and several WebEx development centers.