Membership in the IBM Academic Initiative is the best way to ensure that you have the latest technology and tools to use in your curricula and research, while supporting the culture of open standards throughout the industry.

Who can join? Faculty members and researcher professionals at accredited institutions of learning, all over the globe. Membership is granted on an individual faculty basis. There is no limit on the number of faculty members from an institution that can join.
What does it cost? Your only "cost" to join is the time it takes you fill out the registration forms and get approved. After that, the majority of our offerings are available to you at no-charge. This includes the ability to download all the available IBM technology and courseware, remote access to certain hardware systems, participation in technical webcasts, electronic delivery of our newsletter, and much more.
Why bother to join? Members get access to a wider range of assets, are eligible for additional discounts and assistance, and build collaborative partnerships with IBM and other institutions in the open source community. With the possibility of leadership in your field, prestige for your school, and highly employable students....what's not to like?
http://www-304.ibm.com/jct09002c/university/scholars/academicinitiative/