Partnering with Microsoft
Microsoft provides developers a platform to build their own applications, which contribute to the software sectors in many economies around the world.
Microsoft Innovation Centers (MIC)
Microsoft Innovation Centers provide customers and partners with a comprehensive set of programs and services. The goal of the centers is to foster innovation and growth in local software economies. At the centers, they collaboratively focus on planning, researching, and developing of innovative software solutions with an ecosystem made up of industry, academic, and government partners. The MIC also helps open students up to a Network of resources: Legal, VC and Business Plan support through their partnership programs.
Microsoft Community Affairs
Microsoft Community Affairs administers all of Microsoft's community investment programs, including corporate grant making, humanitarian assistance, employee volunteerism, and Microsoft's signature program, Microsoft Unlimited Potential – Community Technology Skills program. Our programs focus on narrowing the technology skills gap, aiding global work-force development, and creating social and economic opportunity by providing technology skills training through community technology centers (CTCs). The Community Technology Skills program offers a comprehensive approach to broadening digital inclusion by bringing together critical components, including training grants, software donations, community learning curricula, and a global support network called telecentre.org.
Intellectual Property Ventures
IP Ventures spins-out and licenses Microsoft Research technology to entrepreneurs and companies in order to foster innovation and new product development. IP Ventures also connects our licensees with Microsoft partner groups. As a result of their investment in innovation, Microsoft has created a large, diverse portfolio of intellectual property (IP) that is now available for licensing. This portfolio includes source code, schemas, protocols, and documentation as well as associated copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets.
Microsoft Global Network
There are several Microsoft initiatives that encourage and enable student software ventures. In this guide, we have highlighted a few in this section.
The world’s premier student technology competition, the Imagine Cup is one way Microsoft is encouraging young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. Now in its fifth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real world issues.
The S2B program is a Microsoft Community Initiative, connecting Microsoft partners with universities to provide students real world experience and establish the skills and competencies needed to fuel innovation, broaden the recruiting process and aid employability of the next generation of students. The objective of the S2B program is to inspire local businesses to communicate the competency requirements for new talent, leveraging Microsoft and universities to provide the needed skills, and create opportunities for local students to work on real projects.
EMPOWER for ISVs
Jump-Start Your Development on the Microsoft Platform with Empower for ISVs. When you join Empower, you’ll receive software, support, and additional resources designed to help you lower your development costs, test your software, and speed your solution’s time-to-market. The Microsoft Empower for ISVs is designed for Independent Software Vendors ("ISVs") who provide computer software solutions to customers in the consumer, corporate, government, education, medium business or small business space. This worldwide benefit for Microsoft Partner Program Registered Members is considered an important resource for enabling Microsoft solutions. It is intended as a training ground for future Microsoft Certified Partners and is therefore not available to existing Microsoft Certified Partners or Microsoft Gold Certified Partners.
It's about helping individuals and communities around the globe achieve their goals and dreams through relevant, accessible, and affordable technologies. Our mission—to enable new avenues of social and economic opportunity—extends particularly to the estimated 5 billion people that have yet to realize the benefits of technology. As a global technology leader, we are dedicated to serving communities around the world. Innovative technologies and local partnerships are transforming education, fostering local innovation, and enabling jobs and opportunities to help create a continuous cycle of sustained social and economic growth for everyone. Country-specific information about these programs is available in the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Interactive Map. http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/citizenship/giving/map/map.htm
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