PROVIDENCE – Brown University and IBM Corp. have signed a deal to launch a two-year pilot program to roll out what they describe as “a new generation of high-performance computing” to Brown and Rhode Island.

Although the program is formally a partnership between IBM and Brown, which signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month, representatives of the two organizations said the benefits of the agreement would extend far beyond College Hill.

The agreement calls for Brown and IBM to work with government, universities, schools, hospitals, non-profit corporations, businesses, and other partners to address “grand challenges” in Rhode Island, such as health care, energy, the environment, and education, according to a news release from Brown. No dollar figure was attached to the announcement.

“The arrangement should greatly enhance statewide research and collaboration, capitalize on interdisciplinary work, and increase funding opportunities for major research initiatives,” the university said.

It also will allow research projects that require high-power computing capabilities to be conducted at Brown rather than off campus, the university said.

“High performance computing will be the backbone of many major research activities,” said Clyde Briant, Brown’s vice president for research. “It’s changing the nature of research, where it’s driven by the ability to integrate, mine, and interrogate large sets of data in real time. This [agreement] cuts across the life sciences, physical sciences, humanities, and social sciences.”

Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, a Brown alum who attended the signing along with Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, declared that it “could be a defining moment in the rebirth of the [Rhode Island] economy.”

Brown and IBM have a long history of collaboration. Thomas J. Watson Jr., IBM’s longtime president and chairman, graduated from Brown in 1937 and donated millions to the school during his lifetime. Brown’s Watson Institute for International Studies is named for him.

In 1983, IBM donated $11 million worth of computer equipment to Brown and also provided $4 million for a joint study, according to The New York Times.

In 1999, Brown and IBM established the Center for Computation & Visualization, located at the corner of Brook and George streets, with support from the National Science Foundation to make advanced computing power available to students and researchers.

IBM also is a member of the Business Innovation Factory, based in Providence.