Scholas Labs was Launched as an IT and Education Project Accelerator powered by Pope Francis

This non-profit initiative aims to promote inclusion through innovation, by building a global classroom oriented toward world peace

Vatican City, February 6, 2015.

In the Marconi Room of Vatican Radio, Scholas announced the launch of Scholas Labs, a program designed to accelerate educational projects and support technological entrepreneurs committed to innovative integration.

At a press conference held at Vatican Radio, Father Federico Lombardi SJ, director of the Press Office of the Holy See, and José María Corral, Global Director of Scholas, announced the details of this program involving innovation and technology for education and social responsibility.

"These days there are many events in the Vatican, but this congress seems significant for two reasons in particular: What Scholas represents itself as a global project, and because of the interest that Pope Francis has shown since its inception”, Father Lombardi said to representatives of media.

For his part, José María del Corral said that at the end of the Congress, Pope Francisco will communicate with five guys with disabilities from all around the world.

Scholas Labs is open for individuals and startups from around the world who are interested in postulated projects relating to education and technology. A worldwide recognized committee of experts will evaluate each project, and, if selected, will pass through the four-month stage of "acceleration." The acceleration will include mentoring, funding, visibility, networking, and other tools that will transform the original idea into a concrete solution. Several technology companies support Scholas Labs, including Globant, Google, the Telecom Argentina Group, Microsoft, Line64 and The Papaya Group.

The first project that will be accelerate is “Scholas Citizenship,” developed pro bono by Globant and Line 64. This project will create an online space where high school students can share their thoughts regarding civic and political topics. Its objective is to generate a personal approach to local issues and to allow students to find solutions within their own communities.

Néstor Nocetti, EVP of Corporate Affairs and Globant's co-founder added, "Scholas represents for us the opportunity to integrate education projects across the region through technology. We are very excited to join and to participate with Scholas Citizenship, which seeks to generate a virtual space to share specific problems of student communities worldwide, encouraging their participation and social, civic, and political engagement."

In its first year, Scholas Labs intends to mentor 10 projects aimed at the inclusion and integration of vulnerable people. To nominate a project for Scholas Labs learn the details: http://scholaslabs.org/

Videos:

Scholas Labs + Scholas Ciudadanía: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUKWfY0rxjQ&feature=youtu.be

ABOUT GLOBANT

We are a new-breed technology services provider focused on delivering innovative software solutions by leveraging emerging technologies and trends. We combine the engineering and technical rigor of IT services providers with the creative approach and culture of digital agencies. Globant is the place where engineering, design and innovation meet scale.  In only 11 years, we created a company that:

· Has more than 3,700 professionals working for companies like Google, Linkedin, JWT, EA and Coca Cola, among others

· Was recognized as one of the top 10 innovative companies in South America by FastCompany;

· Was included in the 2010 Cool Vendor in Business Process Services Report by Gartner; and

· Was featured as case study at Harvard, MIT and Stanford.

For more information, visit www.globant.com