Along with WatchGuard Technologies (WGRD), Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) has established the SJTU/WatchGuard Information Security Scholarship.

"It is our intention to partner with a leading information security vendor who is committed to a long-term partnership with Shanghai Jiaotong University," said Professor Li Jianhua, dean of the School of Information Security Engineering, SJTU. "We believe that with WatchGuard's expertise and extensive global experience, we will be able to develop and support quality courses and programs for our faculty. We are confident that this will help pave the way for China to become a world leader in information security."

WatchGuard will provide a total of 16 scholarships for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students. To qualify, students of the SJTU School of Information Security Engineering must possess excellent grades, be actively involved in research and development efforts, and demonstrate a keen interest in contributing to the community.

The scholars will be selected by a five-member committee comprised of leaders and professors from the SJTU School of Information Security Engineering, recognized information security experts, and other government or industry professionals.

The SJTU/WatchGuard Information Security Scholarship is the second phase of the strategic partnership between WatchGuard and SJTU. In June 2004, the two organizations established the SJTU/WatchGuard Information Security Laboratory. The laboratory has been in operation since last year and showcases WatchGuard's security solutions for learning, demonstration and testing purposes. The organizations intend to explore future opportunities for collaboration that would further promote the adoption of information security technologies and solutions in China.

The School of Information Security Engineering was founded by the State Ministry of Education and State Ministry of Science in October 2000 in response to the new Information Security Industry Base in Shanghai, which is an outcome of the Ministry of Science and Technology's state program 863. Its remit is to accelerate research into the industrialization of information security and to address a shortage of talent and skills in related industry.