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LONDON, July 17, 2013 — Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) and F1 in Schools, have forged a partnership to offer all students and schools participating in the F1 in Schools programme access to an extensive portfolio of Autodesk 3D design software free of charge. F1 in Schools reaches more than 20 million students in 40 countries and challenges them to design a scale-model Formula One car of the future. Autodesk is the premier software partner for F1 in Schools.
“It is great news to have Autodesk on-board with us as we continue to grow F1 in Schools and expand the number of schools participating and the territories we operate in,” said Andrew Denford, founder and chairman, F1 in Schools. “This is a major step forward for F1 in Schools and I know that by pooling our resources and the global reach of both organisations, we will be able to eliminate any barrier to entry for schools.”
Autodesk will provide students, teachers and schools in the F1 in Schools programme with free access to design, visualisation, and simulation tools that enable them to bring their ideas to life in the virtual world before creating race cars from balsa wood. The partnership reflects Autodesk’s commitment to advancing design and engineering education around the world by providing early access to digital tools that help inspire students to engage in the process of creativity and design.
“The opportunity to work closely with F1 in Schools to help students around the world learn how to explore their design concepts through digital tools is very exciting,” said Chris Bradshaw, chief marketing officer at Autodesk. “It’s inspiring to see students, some as young as nine, using design software like virtual wind tunnels to create and test their designs just as professionals do. It’s our hope that this partnership will enable students to cultivate a lifelong love of design.”
F1 in Schools’ programme challenges students to create their own Formula One™ team which is commissioned to design, construct and race the fastest miniature Formula One Car of the Future; a 21cm long scale model built from a block of balsa wood and powered by a compressed air cylinder. Each team of between three and six students creates a ‘pit’ display at their Regional Final and showcases their work in developing their race car, with a verbal and written presentation for the judges. The teams will race their model car on a specially designed 20 metre test track, with the cars covering the distance in just over one second.
The winners from the Regional Finals compete for the title F1 in Schools National Champions and the victorious teams head to the F1 in Schools World Finals in Austin, Texas with teams from around the globe racing for the prestigious Bernie Ecclestone World Champions trophy and coveted automotive and motorsport engineering scholarships to City University London.
The partnership between F1 in Schools and Autodesk was announced at an event held today at the Savoy Place in London, home to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). For more information about the partnership, visit www.f1inschools.com.
About F1 in Schools
F1 in Schools™ is a not-for-profit company established with committed partners to provide an exciting yet challenging educational experience through the magnetic appeal of Formula One™. F1 in Schools is rapidly realising its potential of becoming the only truly global educational programme that raises awareness of Formula One among students and school children in every region, in every country, on every continent. Spanning age ranges of 9 to19 its main objective is to help change perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) by creating a fun and exciting learning environment for young people to develop an informed view about careers in engineering, mathematics, science, Formula One, marketing and technology.
The founding constitution of F1 in Schools stipulates that it is, and shall remain, a not-for-profit organisation. Funds raised through sponsorship are invested in administering, developing and expanding the challenge. All income is deployed in accordance with guidelines laid down by Formula One Management.
About Autodesk
Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.
F1 & device and Formula 1 are trademarks of Formula One Licensing B.V. a Formula One Group company and are used under licence.
© 2013 F1 in Schools Limited. All rights reserved.
Autodesk and the Autodesk logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
© 2013 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.