Microsoft Academia Accelerator showcases the popularity of mobile- first, cloud-first technology solutions
Hyderabad: Microsoft India today hosted its first ever code.fun.do SHOWCASE, a Microsoft Academia Accelerator program through which 44 top teams across 15 colleges were invited to showcase their projects. Over 100 students at the Microsoft campus at Hyderabad displayed solutions based on popular technologies like Android, Chatbots and AI solutions, with Azure combinations. Lifestyle and productivity emerged as favored themes, followed by education and entertainment. Academia Accelerator is one of Microsoft’s most comprehensive campus engagement programs aimed at building a deep, long-term association between industry and academia in India and reiterates the company’s mission to enable people to realize their full potential.
The code.fun.do series culminated today, receiving great response from 2,000+ participating students across 15 colleges, giving birth to a total of 350 new projects as Academia Accelerator program celebrated its fifth year of collaboration with students and faculty in India. About 40% of these students are from non-Computer Science backgrounds.
From just ideas at the campus level, the code.fun.do SHOWCASE builds on the best of those through mentor support, publishing support and pitch support provided by Microsoft and eventually provides this opportunity for the best among India’s student developers to bring their ideas to life.
“Academia Accelerator aims to expose students, during their formative years to critically important technology trends and practices by adding a layer of cutting-edge industry know-how on top of the existing Computer Science curriculum, thereby enriching their careers decisions and fueling innovation”. said Anil Bhansali, Managing Director, Microsoft India (R&D) Private Ltd. “The success of this program is testament to the great engineering talent we have in India. We have seen significant uptake for the Academia Accelerator program in the last five years as students recognize the importance of understanding technology trends and undergoing practical training sessions during their formative years,” he added.
As with every year, the program stressed the concepts of teamwork and collaboration as well as multi-disciplinary focus that took students beyond pure technology or code into other equally important determinants of success, such as user experience, design, customer value propositions.
Microsoft is committed to fostering innovation and creating a real impact on communities. In line with this, the key focus is on empowering students to think innovatively to craft solutions for real time challenges. Initiatives such as the Microsoft Academia Accelerator and Microsoft Imagine Cup represent a tremendous learning opportunity for students. In addition to skills and training that launch incredible careers, students receive unparalleled hands-on experience, guidance and mentorship from industry luminaries, opening doors to a future as an entrepreneur, innovator or technologist. Through these programs, students are empowered to dream big, build creatively, learn through competition and boldly bring their ideas to life as they gain lifelong career skills throughout their journey.