Microsoft employs many academics in research and development. Occasionally Microsoft research and development teams are available to deliver talks at universities and universities of applied sciences. If you are interested in hosting such a talk, please contact Microsoft Switzerland Academic Relationship Manager at swissarm@microsoft.com. Please note, that you should be ready to help us to organize the event and be open to hosting students and staff from other educational institutes.

Microsoft is committed to support knowledge transfer between universities with basic research, universities of applied sciences with research & development, small and medium enterprises (SME) and industry. Therefore, we support the establishment of Competence Centers (CC) at universities and universities of applied sciences.

What do you need to establish a CC? You should have at least a draft of a business plan for the first two years. We estimate that the planned finances (incl. salaries and equipment) should be around 100,000-200,000 CHF for this first period. It is also important to have plans how the CC works and supports the knowledge transfer.

What can Microsoft do for you? Our Academic Team aims to connect you to the corresponding business group within Microsoft. We may provide knowledge, software and more. Please note that the details have to be negotiated individually. If you are interested in establishing a CC, please contact Microsoft Switzerland Academic Team at swissarm@microsoft.com.

We believe that professors should have direct access to Microsoft’s research and development staff. When possible, our Academic Relationship Manager will set up round tables for professors when members of these R&D teams visit Switzerland. These round tables, taking place either at Microsoft office or at a university, provide an opportunity for open discussions, networking and the exchange of knowledge at a top level. If you are interested in attending or hosting one of these round tables, please contact the Swiss Academic Team at swissarm@microsoft.com.

We are prepared to organize product and technology lectures and demonstrations at your premises. Let us know what topics are of interest for you and your students and we can customize a seminar for you. If you are interested in having a Microsoft speaker at your university or university of applied sciences, please contact Microsoft Switzerland Academic Team at swissarm@microsoft.com.

Swiss Academic Relationship Manager connects with the Swiss universities and Swiss universities of applied sciences with the help of Microsoft staff and services. In most cases, the Academic Relationship Manager does not have budget for financing academic projects directly. After you have familiarized yourself with the resources of the Academic Zone and cannot find any suitable support for your exceptional idea, you may send an email with your proposal to the Swiss Academic Team at swissarm@microsoft.com.