Presentation held by Mr.Tomislav Bronzin as a part of the Public Private Partnership Session at the 8th SEEITA and 7th MASIT Open Days Conference, 14th-15th October, 2010

1. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
New model for Microsoft Innovation
Centers New in SEE
PPP Case Study: Croatia
8th SEEITA Conference, October 14-15 2010, Ohrid
http://www.seeita.org
Tomislav Bronzin
Senior Advisor
Microsoft Innovation Centers

2. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Excellence/Innovation Centres Initiative
What: Offering a comprehensive set of programs and services to
foster innovation and grow sustainable local software economies.
Why: To connect people and organizations in the innovation
ecosystem and give them access to resources, experts and
facilities for collaboration and skills development.
Who: Students, entrepreneurs, academics, professional software
developers, start-ups, IT professionals, industry/international
organizations and local governments.
Outcome: Local centers around the world foster skills and
intellectual capital, industry partnerships and innovation and
cooperate with other similar regional Centers.
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3. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC)
Varaždin, Croatia, founded in November 2005
Foundation model
 Public-Private Partnership
 Project initiated by USAID and
Microsoft, under the support of the
Prime Minister of Croatia
 Investment totals is 2mil.$ in period of
2,5 years (30 months)
Partners
 Hewlett Packard, Cisco, T-Com,
City of Varaždin
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4. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Mission
To provide the infrastructure and resources
to help small and medium sized enterprises to:
Create
innovative new products and services
Bring
those products and services to market
Build
well-managed competitive businesses
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5. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Expected results for 2.5 years (for Croatia)
• Center will directly assist a minimum of 100
Assist independent software vendor companies with
formal training and technical assistance in
process of software development
• Center will help to train a minimum of 200 new
Help employees that will be hired by assisted
companies
Establish • Center will help in establishment of at least 20
start-ups
• Center will provide help to companies that will
Develop develop minimum 50 new software products and
solutions, registered and brought to market
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6. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Education Promotion Networking Information
Center Center Center Center
Opportunity to Development Access to
Lower cost of
promote of new information
employee
company or business about EU
training
product opportunities Funds
Oportunity for
Partnering on Partner
companies to MIC
projects with programs with
deliver Innovative IT
other Microsoft and
training to Product Logo
companies partners
others

7. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Education Center
1/3
Technology
1/3 1/3 Soft
Business Skills
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8. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
What to measure?
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9. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Measuring the success (in 3 years)
315
Companies assisted
100
210
New employees 200
21
Start-ups
20
59
New products
50
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Results Planed
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10. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Oportunity/challanges
 Opportunities:
• ICT major driver for building innovation capacity and
productivity in all vertical industries
• ICT has high value-added
 Challenges:
• Weak educational system
• Below potential ICT market growth
• Ineffective private-public dialog
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11. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
How to address
Weak educational system?
Education
 Complimentary (added) education Center
• Enable access to knowledge, training, consultancy
and certification based on world recognized models,
standards and certification schemes Lower cost
of employee
 Train-the-Trainer for teaching staff training
 Partnership with Academic institutions
• Cooperation with private programs like Microsoft Oportunity
Partners in Learning or CISCO NET Academy for
companies
• Providing framework for Internship’s and helping to deliver
with updating/complimenting curriculums training to
others
 Support for life-long education
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12. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Networking
How to address Center
Below potential ICT market growth New business
opportunities
 Low awareness about the business Partnering
with other
companies
efficiency and effectiveness
Information
• Provide training in methods to achieve high Center
competitiveness Access to
information
 Fragmented market focused on the about funds
“domestic” opportunities Large tenders
participation
• Provide regional networking oportunities Promotion
Center
 „Open” closed public tenders to all Opportunity to
promote
• providing workshops and grouping support company or
product
EIC Logo 12

13. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
How to address
Ineffective private-public dialog
 Enable participation of ICT companies
• Policy making decisions
• Helping to establish development of e-Government
tools for all sectors
• Corporate Social Responsibility
 Promote local ICT companies as suppliers of ICT
solutions for e-Government development
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14. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
How to start?
 First create Excellence Center in ICT Training
and Certification
 Than, add Innovation Center to create one
Excellence/Innovation Center
 Promote regional cooperation by building a
sustainable Regional ICT Training and
Certification Network
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15. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
New Approach for SEE
HP Soft ADD
Skills
Program
START
Excellence/
Innovation
Center
Cisco
Microsoft
Enterprise
Programs
Program
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16. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Phase 1: Establish Excellence/Innovation Center
Private-Public Partnership
(USAID & other donnors-Microsoft/HP/CISCO)
First establish Excellence Center as non-profit
(foundation, association or any other form),
Leverage existing scenario from European
Software Institute (ESI) in Bulgaria
Add Innovation Center „component” and form
one Excellence/Innovation Center
Leverage existing scenario from Microsoft
Innovation Center in Croatia
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17. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Phase 2: Involve other interested partners
Government on national and local level
Professional Associations and Communities /User Groups
Academic Institutions - Universities, Schools …
Technology Parks / Science Parks / Incubators
Business Development Institutions
Investment/Fund Raising Organizations - Donators, EU Funds, Venture Capital…
Other vendors - like HP, CISCO, Telecom Companies …
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18. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
What is expected from donnors?
 Provide funds for
• Venue
• Stuff (EIC team) payrolls
• Marketing and publishing expenses
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19. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
What is expected from private partners like
Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Cisco? (1)
 Their product (software/computers/network eqip.)
• For classrooms and demo rooms
 Curriculums
• Technical and Soft Skills / Business oriented
• Classroom & e-Learning
 Methodology
• HP Global Method (PM)
• Microsoft Solution Framework
• Microsoft Operation Framework
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20. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
What is expected from private partners like
Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Cisco? (2)
 Programs
• Microsoft Bizspark/Webspark for start-ups
• Microsoft Partners in Learning (K12)
• Microsoft Academic Allaince (University)
• Microsoft IT Academy
• Microsoft Unlimited Potentional
• Cisco Networking Academy
• Cisco Learning Network
• Hewlett Packard Academy
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21. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Clustering of Excellence/Innovation Centers (EIC)
Industry
Technology
Region
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22. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Summary - Requirements
 Successful adoption of EIC model requires:
• Careful evaluation of local market needs
• including Government and Professional Association’s priorities
• Don’t start from scratch; Use the momentum and
experiences from MIC Croatia working model
• Alliances with International Institutions/Organizations
• Facilitate Public-Private partnerships
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23. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Summary - Results
 Excellence/Innovation Center can help to:
• Stimulate the development of ICT industry across region
• By doing that support all other vertical industries
• Deliver knowledge transfer
• In technology and business
• By delivering classes, workshops, testing and demonstration
• Boost new initiatives through Centers - Regional ICT
Training and Certification Network
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24. Microsoft Innovation Centers
Microsoft Innovation Center
Armenia: http://www.micarmenia.am Tomislav Bronzin
Innovation Center Senior Advisor
Croatia: http://www.miccroatia.com Microsoft
b-tombro@microsoft.com
Slovenia: http://www.microsoft.com/slovenija/mic +385 91 2019 443
European MIC: http://www.microsoft.com/emic
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