Microsoft will open its first US Innovation Center in Miami later this spring

A Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) is to be opened in Miami, the first of its kind in the US, later this spring. The building will be kitted out with the latest technology, and support students and startups in the local area. Miami was chosen because of its close proximity to Latin America; Microsoft hopes to connect the city with key communities in the region.

The new MIC will support students with trained specialists and an open-plan area where they can ask questions about software and other technologies used on their course. It’ll also provide startups with access to Microsoft tools and hardware, with the option to become a BizSpark Network Partner or customer if they’re interested. In the process, Microsoft hopes to give government firms and agencies access to a highly skilled group of people in the city.

The hub has been born out of Microsoft’s CityNext initiative, a scheme aiming to improve innovation in urban areas. Microsoft says the Miami MIC is “the first of many” to open in the US this year, and will join the 117 centers already operating in numerous countries around the world.

➤ Press Release (Microsoft)

Featured image credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images