Thiruvananthapuram: University of California Santa Cruz and the Asian School of Business (ASB) in Kerala's capital on Wednesday launched a strategic tie-up that would include a series of exchange programmes.

Announcing this here, G. Vijaya Raghavan, member-secretary of ASB, said, "As the first in the series of programmes planned, a three-day conference would be held Sep 22-24 in Silicon Valley, California."

The conference will be titled "Innovation - A tool for fostering entrepreneurship and Regional Economic Development: Learnings from the Silicon Valley Experience - Focus Kerala."

Oman-based Keralite businessman George M. Thomas was the person behind ASB which was set up five years back at the Technopark campus. In October this year, the ASB will move into a brand new Rs.63 crore campus coming up on the outskirts of the city. IANS