Mentor Graphics announced the opening of a Mentor-sponsored electronic design laboratory at the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology in Zelenograd, Russia. MIET is preparing specialists in electronic systems design, and the new center will train students to use leading-edge electronic design tools. Mentor's contribution to MIET includes software and hardware, training materials and scholarship funding. The center plans to start offering courses in September focused on printed circuit board/system design and hardware description language (HDL) design and verification. Later courses will address mixed-signal custom integrated circuit (IC) design and verification. Mentor Graphics design tools were provided under the auspices of the company's Higher Education Program, which makes available Mentor's design tools to colleges and universities for classroom instruction and academic research. This program has been in existence since 1985.