QAD And the University of Limerick Partner to Accelerate Software Development and Integration; Joint Project Aims to Improve Adaptability of Reusable Software Components.

Business Editors

CARPINTERIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2001

QAD (Nasdaq:QADI), a leading provider of collaborative commerce applications for global manufacturing enterprises and their private exchanges, today announced that QAD Ireland and the University of Limerick have formed a research partnership designed to accelerate new software development and integration between business partner applications.

"Partnerships like this are critical to the advancement of our university and of the software industry and we are happy to assist QAD with potential advances that can deliver a sharper edge in the highly competitive enterprise software industry," said Roger Downer, president of the University of Limerick. "We are very pleased to establish this additional important research link between our university and QAD."

Entitled Adaptive Component Interfaces, the project is focused on software systems development made possible by reusing existing pieces of software called "components." It is now very challenging to get such components to successfully interact with each other, and to do so requires very precise activities that place heavy demands on software developers. Also, if these components subsequently change, the interactions defined may become obsolete, forcing developers to re-create the interaction.

Undertaken in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government organization charged with assisting the development of Irish enterprise, the joint project aims to reduce the effort required to develop software systems by enabling software components to adapt autonomously to each other. Such autonomy would significantly reduce the effort required by QAD to utilize components and cope with subsequent changes to them. With the advanced components developed through this research, QAD anticipates that its software development process will be accelerated as well as its ability to integrate its systems with those from its business partners.

"It is a rare pleasure to find an opportunity like this to both support software research at an honorable educational institution and invest in the growth of our business," said Vince Niedzielski, executive vice president, QAD Research & Development. "The University of Limerick has an excellent research record and we hope our partnership will sow the seeds for a long-term relationship between our two organizations."

The initial partnership covers a two to three year period and has a total funding of US$145,100. The research will involve two post-graduate students and a number of lecturers from the University's CSIS department, who will work in close coordination with several senior members of QAD's software engineering team.

"It is a pleasure to be associated with a research-driven company like QAD," said Kevin Ryan, the vice president, academic, of the University of Limerick. "It is crucial to Ireland's future as a high value-added economy that high-tech companies and leading edge university research groups should co-operate in this way. The support of Enterprise Ireland shows that the Irish government shares this vision."

Ireland is one of the fastest growing technology centers in the world, offering advanced research facilities, a highly educated workforce and a pro-business climate that helps technology companies flourish. QAD opened a major research and development center in Plassey Technological Park in Limerick, Ireland, in July of 1998. The majority of the 25 people working at QAD's Limerick office are responsible for the development of collaborative commerce applications and extensions to existing products.

The web page for the research project is: http://www.csis.ul.ie/research/qadhome.html

About The University of Limerick

The University of Limerick was established by the state of Ireland in 1972 as The National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and full university powers were granted in 1989. It is the first new University established since the foundation of the State. The University is located on a riverside campus at the heart of the 600 acre National Technological Park at Plassey, three miles above the ancient city of Limerick. Over 6000 full-time and 3000 part-time students are enrolled at the University. Over seventy different organizations are located on the Park and interact in a variety of ways with the teaching, research and cultural activities of the University. The development of the University has been financed by both the World Bank and the European Investment Bank, and is supported by The University of Limerick Foundation. For more information, visit the UL Web site at http://www.ul.ie/.

About QAD

QAD delivers value through collaborative commerce for manufacturers, empowering enterprises to integrate diverse business processes and increase profitability. Manufacturers of automotive, food and beverage, consumer, electronics, industrial and medical products use QAD software at more than 5,200 licensed sites in more than 80 countries and in as many as 26 languages. For more information about QAD, telephone [phone], or visit the QAD Web site at http://www.qad.com. To receive any of QAD's press releases via facsimile, contact 1-800-356-0747, or outside the U.S. contact +1-213/253-5647.

Note to Investors: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, evolving demand for the company's software products and products that operate with the company's products, the publication of opinions by industry analysts about the company, its products and technology, the entry of new competitors and their technological advances, delays in localizing the company's products for new markets, delays in sales as a result of lengthy sales cycles; changes in operating expenses, pricing, timing of new product releases, the method of product distribution or product mix; and general economic factors. In addition, revenue and earnings in the enterprise resource planning (ERP), e-business and collaborative commerce software industries are subject to fluctuations and the growth rates recently experienced by the company do not necessarily represent future operating results. Investors should not use any one quarter's results as a benchmark for future growth. For a more detailed description of the risk factors associated with the company and the industries in which it operates, refer to the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2001.

Note to Editors: "QAD" and "MFG/PRO" are registered trademarks of QAD Inc. All other products or company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.