Microsoft Innovation Center and Oregon’s Economic Development

By Allison Menjivar, coordinator, Microsoft Innovation Center

Founded by Microsoft and three of its partners – Ascentium, Centerlogic and Netdesk – the Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) at Portland State University is dedicated to driving the expansion of Oregon’s economic development through technology education. Microsoft and its partners have leveraged the MIC as an industry focal point, allowing the MIC to engage with an array of organizations and groups to discover new and innovative ways of addressing technology challenges.

Microsoft Innovation Center partners (from left to right) EVP Ascentium Corporation, Alain Dias, President of Centerlogic, Kevin McVicker, President of Netdesk, Todd Shelton.

Dean of Portland State University Dr. Robert D. Dryden.

• Scholarships
• Internships
• User groups
• Research groups
• Microsoft technology sessions and briefings

MIC activities designed to support local organizations
The goal is to expand economic development efforts by empowering local organizations. Microsoft and its partners will also align to work with small and medium-size businesses, state and local government, non-profits, and IT professionals on a number of projects. With this year’s anticipated launch of Vista, SharePoint 2007 and Windows 2007, the MIC will be the ideal place for these organizations to understand what these software solutions can bring to their organizations.

Some of the key activities at the MIC are:

• Half-day sessions to show how pilot technology solutions or prototypes of applications can help individual companies, agencies or institutions meet their objectives.
• A weekly solutions showcase led by Microsoft partners, providing discussion and presentations on specific scenarios that use Microsoft technologies, ranging from tools for collaboration and customer management to an advanced look at upcoming Microsoft Office solutions.
• Monthly partnership events with technology associations and business groups that focus on specific issues.
• Alignment with Microsoft’s Portland field office for events that inform businesses, government agencies and schools about new ways to use technology and share information.
• Support for start-up companies that are developing on the Microsoft platform.
• Free technical presentations that give IT decision-makers a first look at new technologies, and allow them to see first-hand what implementing these ideas can bring to their organizations. To register please contact info@msftinnovationcenter.com. Presentations include:
• SQL Reporting Services 2005
• SQL 2005
• Office 2007 (Client)
• Office 2007 (Server)
• CRM 3.0: Increasing Sales and Pipeline Visibility

Microsoft Senior Vice President, Jon DeVaan.