In a bid to seek out fresh growth opportunities, Microsoft has pledged millions of dollars to back a development centre that would research projects in cooperation with Russian universities and scientific organisations.

A “memorandum of understanding” was signed yesterday by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and President of the Skolkovo Fund, Viktor Vekselberg.

Microsoft is planning to develop the following areas:

• Establishment of a software development centre at Skolkovo that will aim to create elements of Technical Computing, a new initiative delivering solutions for large-scale scientific, engineering, and engineering data analysis and simulation, and Microsoft Business Solutions. Russian software developing companies may be involved as subcontractors for certain development projects. It is envisioned that solutions created at this centre will be used not only in Russia, but all over the world.
• Collaborative research projects cooperation with Russian and foreign universities and scientific research institutions in a number of promising areas. In addition, joint international research events and workshops are also planned, which will attract leading world-class presenters in both IT and high-tech and related domains.
• Extended Russian innovative start-up assistance program that will support start-ups at early stages of their development, while engaging market players in project investments and providing technological review for such projects. Microsoft is also planning to provide financial support for implementation of the most promising ideas at their early stages, with the selection of candidates conducted by an expert committee consisting of the heads of the Microsoft office in Russia and representatives of Russian Seed Investment Funds.
• The Microsoft BizSpark program, which has already provided more than 1,500 start-ups with a technology platform and tools, will also be extended. According to the plan, Microsoft will establish favourable terms for accessing Microsoft’s cloud services for certain software start-up companies residing at Skolkovo.
• Establishment of a technology centre to provide collaborative access to IT technologies in Skolkovo. Based on the successfully operating technology centre that was opened in Moscow a year ago (and which was the first in Central and Eastern Europe), this centre will give companies working in Skolkovo a unique opportunity to test and adapt their solutions on corporate-scale IT infrastructure.
• Support of the creation of the technological university at Skolkovo. Students and professors will be taught state-of-the-art technologies with close support from Microsoft. Students will also be able to learn at specialized Microsoft schools and do internships in the major research centres, including Microsoft Research in Cambridge and Redmond.

“Microsoft is committed to continuing investments that foster local IT industry development and expand growth opportunities in Russia,” Ballmer said. “We are proud to be participating in the Skolkovo project, which represents an important step toward increasing technology innovation and modernizing Russia’s economy.”