The IBM Institute for Advanced Commerce (IAC) was created in 1998 to extend the boundaries of understanding electronic commerce and to accelerate change in important areas. The IAC sponsors research at universities and at IBM, publishes papers, organizes conferences, and works with leading-edge companies. The IAC has run two contests open to graduate students worldwide for best thesis proposal in electronic commerce.

We believe that e-business is a real revolution, a once-in-a-generation jump rather than a modest technology shift. The changes will strain our technological abilities. As billions of people become customers and suppliers, as business models evolve at accelerating rates, as expectations of continuous availability with security and privacy assured, new approaches to building and operating software will be required. The impacts on the economy and society will be profound, requiring a truly interdisciplinary approach across a multitude of subjects, including management, law, economics, and sociology.

The IAC is active in discussions of new curricula involving e-commerce, in organizing both technology and multidisciplinary conferences, and in research in a variety of areas. We have identified eight themes around which to organize our activities:

Major Themes of IAC:
· Evolving Marketplace
· Privacy
· Variable Prices and Negotiated Dealings
· Business-to-Business Interactions
· Managing the End Customer
· Impact of Globalization
· Deep Computing for Commerce
· System Foundations

The IAC has sponsored eight conferences and cosponsored another six so far. More are being organized. The IAC has also assisted in the creation of ACM's Special Interest Group on Electronic Commerce (SIGecom). Research sponsored by the IAC has resulted in dozens of publications, as well as in significant IBM products, including auction and marketplace software.

Please contact Paridhi Verma to obtain copies of the Computer Science Brochure