SAP Labs Mission Statement
Our mission is to be a pioneer and leader in the creation and delivery of valued solutions for strategic business processes that enable our customers' realization of their business goals and objectives. By our participation in the innovative business and technology community in America, we pursue the ongoing discovery of superior technologies and their application by an empowered team of people.
History
The beginning of SAP Labs, Inc. dates to the early 1990s when SAP America established a development group in its Foster City, California office. The purpose of this group originally was to assist customers with custom development projects and to tailor applications and develop add-ons specifically for the North American market. Soon, however, it became apparent that there was also a need to take advantage of the new technologies being created in the Silicon Valley. In 1996, SAP decided to create a new development organization, originally called SAP Technology, to accommodate these needs. In late 1997, SAP changed the name of SAP Technology to SAP Labs and moved the facility to Palo Alto. Since that time, the population of SAP Labs has grown to include over 500 people, many of whom work in offices located throughout the country.
SAP Labs and the Community
SAP Labs strongly believes that the company has certain social responsibilities. Since moving to Palo Alto in late 1997, SAP Labs has donated several hundred thousand dollars to charities both inside and outside the region. The charities supported by SAP Labs are as diverse as the company's employee population. AIDS organizations; city-sponsored family education, entertainment, and recreation programs; and children's charities are just a few of the many types of groups that have benefited from the company's presence. SAP Labs has sponsored a minority scholarship at Stanford University and given personal data assistants and furniture to National Hispanic University. It has also donated money or equipment to organizations such as:
Komen Race for the Cure (San Francisco, California)
The United Way, Silicon Valley Chapter (San Jose, California)
Christmas-in-April (San Francisco, California)
San Jose Police Department (San Jose, California)
California AIDS Ride and California AIDS Walk (San Francisco, California)
Charis Youth Center (Hayward, California)
Tri-Cities Children's Centers (Fremont, California)
Other organizations that have benefited from SAP Labs include: African Children's Choir; Rainbow Rascals Learning Center in Lathrup Village, Michigan; United Way; Family Giving Tree; and San Francisco Examiner Charities.
In addition to supporting regional charities, SAP Labs has also been active in supporting local community events. In May of 1999, SAP Labs sponsored the City of Palo Alto's Black and White Ball. This black-tie affair raised millions of dollars for the City's Park and Recreation Department. SAP Labs recently also sponsored open-air concerts in some of Palo Alto's public parks, and has participated in several of the city's Sand Castle and Chili Cookoff competitions.
Working Toward a Better-Informed Tomorrow
One of the goals of SAP is to make information more accessible to everyone. This philosophy also guides the SAP Labs' community outreach program.
For example, SAP Labs is proud to be part of the SAP University Alliance Program. This program provides universities and colleges of all sizes with software, installation and technical support, and assistance with curriculum development to teach and show college graduates how the latest technology supports business objectives. Graduates from the alliance programs are well sought-after by Fortune 500 companies because of their in-depth SAP knowledge. Nearly 200 academic institutions are in the alliance.
Additionally, SAP Labs is a sponsor of MentorNet, an email mentoring program designed to help women increase their presence in the scientific and technical fields by providing them with quality role models.
SAP Labs cares about the communities and the world in which it operates. For more information on any of these programs, please contact Mona Bhardwaj at 650-320-3041.
