Microsoft has announced the rollout of the ‘Academia Accelerator’ programme to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among engineering students.
The company has tied up with ten major engineering colleges in the country to focus on selective areas of computer science to foster greater student-driven innovation and entrepreneurship. India produces some of the world’s finest engineering talent and most of it takes shape in top engineering colleges, according to Microsoft.
“The programme aims to expose students to critically important technology trends and practices during their formative years, thereby preparing them with vital skills and experiences that will enrich their careers and fuel innovation and impact from India,” said Vinod Anantharaman, head of business management, Microsoft India, R&D. The programme contains workshops on the modern-day high technology industry and hackathons to build real-world applications that leverage the latest Microsoft platforms, including mobile and cloud.
The successful and potential applications made by the students will be made available on Microsoft’s app store.
The company aims to involve over 4,000 students to develop apps through the programme during 2014, according to Mr. Anantharaman .
