YEREVAN, MARCH 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The start of Virage Logic company's Giant Scale Integration Electronic Circuit Design and Test Program at the IT Educational and Research Center (ITERC) of Yerevan State University (YSU) was announced, and a room for design and tests of these circuits was opened on March 25. The YSU Prorector for Educational Work Karen Grigorian said at the ceremony dedicated to the program's start that it is being implemented under the program on cooperation between the company and YSU (the program began in 2008) and the agreement on donation signed between the sides in early March. He expressed a hope that ITERC, which has functioned since the end of 2007, will register serious success if its growth rates continue. In the words of Deputy Chairman of Virage Logic Yervand Zorian, the company is an international leader, especially in production of semiconductor equipment memory components' design technologies. The large subsidiaries making up 25% of the company are in Armenia and India, and the Armenian subsidiary cooperates with YSU lecturers and students, giving advice and scientific literature to them, thanks to which many students do scientific work and have success in the international field. It was stated that in fact, the "internal educational program" of Virage Logic is being transferred to YSU. The program includes intellectual property of 2.3 million USD and software to be used by all students of the university. Y. Zorian added that the company has established international cooperation with many universities, noting that "the first great cooperation is with YSU". He expressed confidence that henceforth Armenia will make progress in semiconductor design sector. The RA Deputy Minister of Economy Vahe Danielian attached importance to cooperation between the sides and to Virage Logic's test room at YSU, noting that the international experience of semiconductor design has entered Armenia in this way. He expressed a hope that it will enable Armenia to become an IT and high-tech excellence center, a "global laboratory of global markets". The ITERC Head, Professor Samvel Shukurian said that several graduates who underwent training at the Center have already submitted 10 bids for patenting their developments in the U.S.

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