Microsoft Supports the Growth of IT and the Generation of Innovation

Microsoft Innovation Center offers a variety of programs to support software/hardware development companies, systems integrators, educational institutions, and entrepreneurs.

These reports provide detailed reports of Microsoft Innovation Center’s activities and events. This information will provide in-depth insights of the programs offered by Microsoft Innovation Center.

This page introduces the facilities available through Microsoft Innovation Center programs. These facilities consist of a wide range of hardware environments, covering from small scale to very large scale environments.

Contact information for questions regarding programs and facilities offered by Microsoft Innovation Center.

February 23rd, 2011, Yamanashi Prefectural Government (Yamanashi Prefecture); April 5th, 2011, Okinawa Prefectural Government (Okinawa Prefecture); April 28th, 2011, Okayama Prefectural Office (Okayama Prefecture)
Microsoft IT Venture Support Programs are underway in collaboration with the local governments of Yamanashi, Okinawa and Okayama prefectures for 2011. Before local media assembled at each location, Microsoft visited local government offices and held ceremonies to present certificates and invitations to selected companies and semi selected companies.

April 17th, 2011, Microsoft Co., Ltd, Japan Headquarters 31F (Minato, Tokyo)
The IT contest for students Imagine Cup Japan was held again this year. Two Japan National teams were selected from six teams that passed application material screenings from among scores of entries to the contest. MI³ from Doshisha University, which regularly participates in Imagine Cup, and multi-school team SunDonation succeeded in receiving tickets to the world finals in the Embedded Development division.

April 19th – 21st, 2011, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond Campus, WA, U.S.A.
Japan Venture Program 2011, a part of Microsoft IT Venture Support Program designed for Japanese IT venture companies to experience Microsoft technologies firsthand and to promote mutual interaction, was recently held. Participants from selected IT venture companies and local governments from various regions of Japan, including Yamanashi, Okayama and Okinawa prefectures, as well as the Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Best Commercial Business Award Winner company and the Campus Venture Grand Prix Special Microsoft Award Winner visited Microsoft Corporation Redmond Campus in WA, U.S.A.

March 8th, 2011, Hotel Port Plaza Chiba (Chiba, Chiba prefecture)
Chiba prefecture and Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, co-signers of a memorandum to cooperate in the Regional Vitalization Collaboration Program, held Chiba prefecture/Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, Local Revitalization Program Achievement Report Session to confirm the achievements of the Program during the last year. The achievements of activities for IT venture companies, senior citizens, NPOs and security awareness were reported to a large number of Chiba citizens.

March 5th, 2011, Shinagawa Headquarters, Microsoft Co. Ltd., Japan, (Minato, Tokyo)
Microsoft Student Partners (MSP) is a program for students designed to nurture human resources and increase opportunities to learn about the latest technologies. Students are the main actors who organize and run partner activities on a fiscal year basis. In 2010, MSP students ran a wide range of events such as seminars and lectures, and cooperated in Microsoft DreamSpark™ promotions and Student Presentation Award 2011. At a March meeting, Microsoft Student Partners summed up their activities in 2010.

March 3rd, 2011, Toranomon Bldg., The Tokai University Club (Chiyoda, Tokyo)
On March 3rd, the 7th Campus Venture Grand Prix National Competition for students nationwide, sponsored by The Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Ltd., was held. The Special Microsoft Award went to “Vitalization of Manufacturing Culture and Science Education through Product Commercialization and Diffusion of Bluetooth Oscilloscope" by Ichiro Kimura and Masatoshi Nakano (Kyushu University Graduate School). Kimura and Nakano received a certificate and an invitation to visit the Microsoft Corporation headquarters.

February 21st, 2011, Otemachi Technology Center
Microsoft launched the IT Venture Support Program in February this year to provide selected companies one year of technical and marketing support in cooperation with local governments and local information industry associations. On February 21st, a kick-off meeting for the selected companies was held, introducing the program details and Microsoft Innovation Center housed in Otemachi Technology Center.

December 1st, 2010, Sun Members Tokyo Shinjuku
In addition to Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) in Otemachi, Tokyo, Microsoft Innovation Center’s alliance organizations in Sapporo, Asahikawa (Hokkaido) and Gifu Prefecture conduct various activities to support their local IT industry. These alliance organizations gathered together at Japan MIC Summit 2010 to report their activities in 2010, and a workshop was held to report the activities and current issues in each region, discussing the role of Microsoft Innovation Center for the future.

December 2nd, 2010, Bellesalle Kudan
IT venture companies, NPOs (specified nonprofit corporations), students, senior citizens and partners who contribute Microsoft’s various support activities gathered at Microsoft Citizenship Day 2010, an event to summarize Microsoft’s corporate citizenship activities in 2010. The events was successful as a good opportunity to, through case studies, demonstrations and study groups, discuss Microsoft’s support activities in the future. Microsoft Innovation Day 2010 was also held at the same place, announcing the Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Best Commercial Business Award selected from the five recipient companies of the Award for Outstanding Performance.

November 2nd, 2010, Sapporo Convention Center, Sapporo Electronics and Industries Cultivation Foundation, Sapporo
At JavaFesta in Sapporo 2010, an event in its seventh year, a Microsoft lecturer introduced the company’s cloud computing strategy and various ways to utilize Java in the cloud computing environment. On the same day, representatives from Microsoft, including the lecturer, visited Sapporo Electronics and Industries Cultivation Foundation and discussed future activities of the Sapporo Innovation Center, a facility established by the Foundation.

August 25th – 27th, 2010, Tech･Ed Japan 2010
Microsoft hosted Tech･Ed Japan 2010, one of its largest worldwide technical conferences, at Pacifico Yokohama Hotel from August 25th to 27th. At the BOF (Birds of a Feather) session on the first day, each Microsoft Innovation Award 2010 Outstanding Performance Award winning company made a presentation to introduce its winning solution. As in previous years, the Best Commercial Business Award winner will be selected based on votes cast by Tech･Ed participants and all Microsoft employees.

July 4th - 8th, 2010, Warsaw, Poland
Imagine Cup is the largest IT competition for students hosted annually by Microsoft. In the 8th year of this technology competition, over 325,000 students from more than 100 countries and regions applied to Imagine Cup 2010. After surviving a half year of preliminaries, over 400 students from 113 teams gathered in Warsaw, the Polish capital, to compete at the world finals.

July 1st and 2nd, 2010, Softopia Japan Center Building
Gifu Innovation Center, a Microsoft Innovation Center affiliate organization, held the Gifu Innovation Center Seminar for local IT industry as well as manufacturing other industries utilizing IT. At the seminar, Microsoft’s strategy was explained and participants discussed how to make use of this strategy for local industry.

June 13th – 16th, 2010, Asahikawa Science Center, Asahikawa Jibasangyo Shinko (Local Industry Promotion) Center, Asahikawa Daisetsu Crystal Hall and Asahikawa Daisetsu Arena
Asahikawa Innovation Center, a local alliance organization of Microsoft Innovation Center, took part in hosting ROBOMEC 2010 in Asahikawa, the largest lecture presentation for robotics and mechatronics in Japan. Microsoft attended this event, with 1,500 registered and a number of general public attendees, by sending lecturers and a booth exhibition, and introduced its corporate citizenship programs as well as demonstrating Windows Embedded technologies in mechatronics.

May 10th, 2010, BCN Inc.
Since 2009, Microsoft has offered Microsoft Job Assistance Program for Students, which provides Microsoft Student Partners students with technical support and information, and introduces various internship programs. BCN Inc., which publishes BCN Weekly; one of the major IT industry newspapers, provided internships for this program. The company’s professional production team supported internship students from project planning to the coverage and writing involved in publishing Microsoft for Students, a newspaper reflecting the IT industry from a student viewpoint.