Supporting Innovation:

The Future Comes from Ideas Around the World

The year 11 in your local school could have an idea that will forever change the way we receive electronic messages. The university think tank could be close to finishing a revolutionary IT network plan. A local government official might be working to put the town hall online. Great ideas happen everywhere. At Microsoft, they are our biggest inspiration. They motivate us to provide the support and technology that new ideas need to grow into major innovations, which can feed a local knowledge economy and be shared across countries and continents.

Research: A commitment to research that fuels innovation

Partnering with universities, governments, and other organisations around the world, Microsoft is working to push the state of the art forward in ways that benefit everyone. We're expanding the possibilities for computing by continually improving and advancing our current products, and embarking on fundamental research that paves the way for tomorrow's breakthroughs. R&D labs in Beijing, Cambridge, Bangalore, Redmond, and Silicon Valley bring together the sharpest minds to analyse industry issues, brainstorm solutions, and create the prototypes that will become tomorrow's standard equipment.

Imagine Cup: Encouraging new ideas

This annual global technology competition was created by Microsoft and our education partners to show students the real-world opportunities available through technology. Kicking off in 2003, the competition had one category and drew 1,000 students from 25 countries. By 2005, the competition had increased to nine categories, included high school levels, and drew more than 16,000 students from 92 countries. At its heart, the competition is an open invitation to young minds everywhere to explore how far their ideas and diligence can take them. Winners have come from China, France, Russia, Belgium, Brazil, Romania, and Greece. They have found the competition an effective springboard for real future success: Some have opened their own consulting companies, become heads of their university departments, or started businesses based on their inventions.

Tomorrow's innovation: See it here

This interactive mini-site from Microsoft is designed to give you a taste of the powerful things you can do with innovative technology today. Get a glimpse of breakthroughs that are just around the corner, preview the future through the work of six researchers from Microsoft Research, and gain a sense of how these innovations may soon affect you and your community. Explore it all now, ideally through a broadband connection with your sound on: Launch Innovation.

Microsoft's focus on encouraging, developing, and sharing new ideas is unwavering. Where it takes us is wide open. The high school senior may get a device that can run his new e-mail program. The city planner could find the systematic guidance needed to put together the pieces of an online municipality. When people see how doing something different can mean doing it better, they play a part in shaping a future rich with potential.