7 May 2008
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At the signing of the research agreement between Monash South Africa and Keytools, from the left: back row, Professor Dina Burger, Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research, Dr Jacques Steyn, Head of School of IT; seated: Professor Tyrone Pretorius Pro Vice-Chancellor, Monash South Africa and Mr Ray Dalgarno, CEO of Keytools (Pty) Ltd.
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Monash South Africa and Keytools, one of South Africa's leading developers of mobile software technology, have signed a groundbreaking collaborative research agreement. Monash South Africa is wholly-owned by Monash University, Australia's largest university which has an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching.
The agreement was negotiated by Professor Dina Burger, Deputy ProVice-Chancellor: Research at Monash South Africa, and Mr Ray Dalgarno, CEO of Keytools.
According to Mr Dalgarno, "Over the past five years the company hasinvested in a multimillion-rand product development project. We will soon be launching into the global marketplace the world's first 'end-to-end' integrated cellular/web Rapid Application Development toolset -- KeyPAD."
"Designed for the non-programmer and based on simple and well-provenprinciples of "point and click", this device, database and operating system agnostic mobile development toolset, creates solutions for mobile phones with astounding speed, incorporating all aspects of the desired application system requirements."
"We see the signing of this agreement as the start of an ongoing formalcooperative research collaboration between Keytools and Monash."
As a result of the agreement, postgraduate Information Technology studentsat Monash South Africa will have the opportunity to do practical research work in the cutting-edge technological environment in which Keytools operates which is also in line with the research focus of the School of IT at Monash South Africa: Development Informatics.
Dr. Jacques Steyn, Head of the School of IT, welcomed the agreement andsaid that it gave structure to an informal arrangement that has been in place over the past three years. Lecturers and students in the school will initially contribute towards new initiatives in the field of m-government and m-commerce.
Professor Burger said that Monash is privileged to have a relationship withKeytools at this exciting time in the company's development and she expected that agreements with other players with similar synergies will flow out of this one. | 
