OneWorld South Asia’s LifeLines project named 2008 Tech Awards Laureate

San Jose, California and New Delhi, India; September 9, 2008: OneWorld South Asia’s LifeLines project was today named a 2008 Tech Awards Laureate, one of 25 global innovators recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of the California based Tech Museum of Innovation, made its selections from among hundreds of nominations representing 68 countries.

LifeLines, a telephone-based information delivery service for rural farmers in India uses an innovative mix of telephony and internet. A Cisco Unified Messaging platform incorporates Interactive Voice Response (IVRS) functionality in the system, also integrating a Customer Relationship Management application and information database.

The Tech Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity is one of the premier annual humanitarian awards programs in the world, recognizing technical solutions that benefit humanity and address the most critical issues facing our planet and its people.

The awards program honors 25 scientists and innovators annually alongside the recipient of the Global Humanitarian Award. Laureates are selected by a prestigious panel of international judges organised by the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University, and made up of Santa Clara University faculty as well as leaders from educational and research institutions, industry and the public sector around the world.

“We wanted to help the rural farming community by linking voice to web technology, thus giving ordinary people the chance to get answers to questions that are key to improving their lives” said Naimur Rahman, Director, OneWorld South Asia. “The Tech Awards are an incredible honour, and we are proud to be among those recognised for their contributions.”

“This year’s international roster of Laureates demonstrates the exceptional and creative applications of both high and low-tech solutions to change the world,” said Peter Friess, president of The Tech. “By celebrating the accomplishments of these 25 Laureates, we are encouraging future innovators to harness the incredible power and promise of technology to solve the challenges that confront us and make the world healthier, safer and more sustainable.”

Established in 2000, the Tech Awards recognise 25 Laureates in five universal categories: education, equality, environment, economic development and health. One Laureate in each category will receive a $50,000 cash prize during the annual Awards Gala in San Jose, California, on November 12.

This year, the 2008 Laureates represent the truly global vision of the program, spanning countries such as Senegal, Peru, Hungary, Canada, Namibia, Germany, Egypt, India, United Kingdom, Laos and the United States. Their work impacts people in many more countries worldwide.

The selected Laureates’ projects address multiple humanitarian efforts including narrowing the digital divide, expanding renewable energy, improving multilingual education and empowering women in developing countries.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation

The Tech Museum of Innovation is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds located in San Jose, California – the capital of Silicon Valley. Through its annual Tech Challenge team competition for the youth and the internationally recognised Tech Awards, the Tech Museum of Innovation honours the past, celebrates the present, and encourages the development of innovative ideas for a more promising future. For more information about The Tech Museum of Innovation, visit www.thetech.org

For more information about The Tech Awards, visit www.techawards.org