Innovation

All articles in Innovation

Honour for Cambridge lab head Honour for Cambridge lab head Andrew Herbert has always been fascinated by computing, completing his first degree in computational science in 1975 and since then gaining a PhD from... Read more >>
Commission to propose Innovation Act Commission to propose Innovation Act Is a European Innovation Act what’s needed to make Europe more innovative and strengthen growth and competitiveness in the EU? Policymakers, analysts... Read more >>
EMBL’s Peer Bork recognised for work in bioinformatics EMBL’s Peer Bork recognised for work in bioinformatics Peer Bork, who heads a team of bioinformatic researchers at the Heidelberg, Germany- based European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), has been... Read more >>
Albert II visits the Microsoft innovation centre in Mons Albert II visits the Microsoft innovation centre in Mons On 16 June 2009, the King of Belgium, Albert II, visited one of Belgium’s innovation hotspots, the Digital Innovation Valley in Mons. During the visit... Read more >>
Time to get going again Time to get going again When the new Commission is appointed, it will find a raft of proposals waiting for it – all aimed at putting research, development and innovation at... Read more >>
HiBi workshop seeks answers to model questions HiBi workshop seeks answers to model questions Fifty-five researchers met in Trento, Italy, in October to look for collaborative solutions to the limitations that are emerging in the way that... Read more >>
Small cameras that not only see, they watch! Small cameras that not only see, they watch! Small computing devices, such as enhanced cameras, are becoming smarter and more capable: not only do they record visual input (video) but they are... Read more >>
The face in the crowd The face in the crowd Cost-effective face-recognition software has been the springboard for success for one company spun out from the Politecnico di Milano. It has also won... Read more >>
Going to extremes: The Research Information Centre Going to extremes: The Research Information Centre A joint venture between Microsoft Research and the British Library is looking to address the needs of researchers as ‘extreme information users'. Read more >>
No constraints No constraints Youssef Hamadi: applied mathematics researcher and top-flight scientist, directing research projects in Cambridge and Orsay. It's an extraordinary... Read more >>
INRIA, gateway to a complex but rich research system INRIA, gateway to a complex but rich research system Frances's premier institute for computer science is now developing joint laboratories with international companies, including Microsoft, to tackle... Read more >>
Searching questions Searching questions Search is increasingly becoming the main way in which people interact with information online, no matter what form it takes or where it is stored – be... Read more >>
Optimising online services for thousands of different types of mobile phones Optimising online services for thousands of different types of mobile phones “The phone has a unique role. While the PC is the most powerful device, the phone is the most popular device… How do we bring all the business... Read more >>
Windows Embedded collaborates with European businesses Windows Embedded collaborates with European businesses In February 2008, Microsoft launched the Microsoft Embedded Systems Development Centre (MESDC) in Aachen, Germany. The MESDC was created to foster... Read more >>
Ready for innovation Ready for innovation Microsoft's European Growth and Innovation Day brought together policymakers and software developers in Brussels to see how the IT industry can help... Read more >>
Innovation clusters: a Charter is born Innovation clusters: a Charter is born How do you get a Silicon Valley - or three of them - in Europe? And what can policy makers do to help? These were the themes of an innovative round of... Read more >>
Collaboration matters Collaboration matters Even as part of the largest industry computer science research organisation, Microsoft Research does not have a monopoly of talent or ideas, making... Read more >>
Microsoft sponsors prestigious award for European research Microsoft sponsors prestigious award for European research One of Europe's leading pioneers in the field of medical image analysis has been awarded the €250,000 Royal Society and Académie des sciences... Read more >>
Happy birthday, EMIC! Happy birthday, EMIC! The European Microsoft Innovation Centre (EMIC), in Aachen, Germany, opened five years ago. Since then, it has created an impressive track record in... Read more >>
Being Human: human-computer interaction in the year 2020 Being Human: human-computer interaction in the year 2020 Computer technologies have suffused the world we live in. They have created change and continue to create change. This is manifest not only on our... Read more >>
Putting human values at the forefront Putting human values at the forefront We spoke with Richard Harper, Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge about the HCI 2020 ‘Being Human’ report. Read more >>
Tapping into computing’s sensitive side Tapping into computing’s sensitive side Computing has come a long way since the invention of the diminutive mouse. Unlike the keyboard, which was an adaptation of old technology, the mouse... Read more >>
The Internet of things The Internet of things Visit Alton Towers, the United Kingdom's biggest theme park, and you are offered a wristband. Wear it, and as you scream your way from Nemesis to... Read more >>
Advancing Europe’s goals in Embedded Systems Advancing Europe’s goals in Embedded Systems Microsoft, via its European Microsoft Innovation Centre (EMIC) in Aachen, Germany, is engaged in the ARTEMIS Joint Technology Initiative on scaleable,... Read more >>
Saving energy with home automation Saving energy with home automation As computers become more prevalent in our offices and homes, not only as PCs but also in media and entertainment devices and embedded in appliances,... Read more >>
WearIT WearIT Handheld computers for issuing tickets, reading meters, recording environmental data or taking orders are commonplace. Now attention has shifted to... Read more >>
PHAROS: Lighting the way for European audiovisual search PHAROS: Lighting the way for European audiovisual search Read more >>
Microsoft Search Technology Center Microsoft Search Technology Center FUTURES spoke with Jordi Ribas, head of the new Microsoft Search Technology Center. Read more >>
Grant funding helps instant messaging startup go global Grant funding helps instant messaging startup go global Paris-based startup Miyowa enlisted the support of European Union Grants Advisor (EUGA) and successfully applied for government funding to develop... Read more >>
Rewarding enterprise on campus Rewarding enterprise on campus It’s a familiar story: invented in Europe, commercialised abroad. Read more >>
Developing tomorrow’s embedded computers Developing tomorrow’s embedded computers Research and development in highly complex fields – such as embedded computer systems – relies heavily on partnerships in which the strengths of the... Read more >>
How creativity toolkits and virtual collaborative environments accelerate each other How creativity toolkits and virtual collaborative environments accelerate each other Computing pervades everyday life: whether used in business or leisure, by individuals or communities, it offers opportunities for new ways of living... Read more >>
Coming to your screen: the high-definition Internet Coming to your screen: the high-definition Internet In an era of continual Internet innovation, one of the biggest trends is the Internet’s rapid growth as a platform for rich, high-definition content... Read more >>
The new ‘HD view’ of photography The new ‘HD view’ of photography Just when you thought there was nothing new in pictures, along comes HD View and explodes all your preconceptions about what photography can do. Read more >>
Photosynth: creating 3D photographic experiences of time and place Photosynth: creating 3D photographic experiences of time and place The Photosynth experience justifies the use of the old truism: it has to be seen to be believed. Read more >>
Hail the conquerator and release the sheep Hail the conquerator and release the sheep Earlier this year Microsoft Research Cambridge, in partnership with Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio team, Lionhead Studios and Rare Ltd, brought together... Read more >>
Interfacing with robots: do robots do what we want them to do? Interfacing with robots: do robots do what we want them to do? Programming an industrial robot is still an annoying task that requires too many details and expert knowledge. Each robot unit needs to be installed... Read more >>
Archiving for the family Archiving for the family One of the current projects of the Socio-Digital Systems Group atMicrosoft Research in Cambridge is ‘Family Archive’. This work arose from the team’s... Read more >>
Exploring the globe Exploring the globe As more and more people share data and opinions over the Internet, geographic and location information is becoming an increasingly important dimension... Read more >>
Browsing the real world Browsing the real world New geoweb applications such as Microsoft’s Virtual Earth are at the confluence of two massive innovation trends – user-generated content and smart... Read more >>
The 3-D city The 3-D city Football supporters and other visitors to this summer's Euro2008 football championships in Austria and Switzerland can enjoy a new experience as they... Read more >>
Computerised excavations in Pompeii Computerised excavations in Pompeii Imagine a search engine capable of recognising the details of paintings rather than words. This is the challenge facing a joint Microsoft/INRIA... Read more >>
When geographic intelligence goes mainstream… When geographic intelligence goes mainstream… “When I'm making plans for my spare time, the most convenient way to do it is to ask for the location and places of restaurants, tourist sites and... Read more >>
Complexity: tackling large systems in science and engineering Complexity: tackling large systems in science and engineering Read more >>
Verifying 50,000 lines of C code Verifying 50,000 lines of C code Read more >>
Barcelona supercomputing center and Microsoft create joint research centre for parallel computing Barcelona supercomputing center and Microsoft create joint research centre for parallel computing On 18 January 2008, Microsoft and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) announced the creation of the BSC – Microsoft Research Centre, which... Read more >>
When computers come to the aid of mathematics When computers come to the aid of mathematics “Mathematics must make a great leap forward”: this is the challenge that Georges Gonthier has set himself. Read more >>
The ‘renaissance’ of computer science and how it will change our world The ‘renaissance’ of computer science and how it will change our world  The rapid pace of industrialisation in India, China and elsewhere is pushing up the price of every commodity, from oil and copper, to wheat and... Read more >>
A look in the crystal ball: Craig Mundie on the future of computing A look in the crystal ball: Craig Mundie on the future of computing The free lunch is over For the past 20 years the computer industry has grown on the back of ever-increasing clock rates. In line with Moore's law,... Read more >>
Europe’s place on the IT map Europe’s place on the IT map In the global village, goes the standard economic theory, every region should have its own set of specialised skills to trade with the rest of the... Read more >>
A push to reform the way EUROPE does research A push to reform the way EUROPE does research “EUROPE has a team of star players, but it is not a star team.” That frank assessment of EUROPE's weaknesses and strengths in research was how Dr... Read more >>
The researchers’ directive The researchers’ directive Implementation of the Directive by member states is essential to the paradigm of ‘brain circulation' and the development of the European Research... Read more >>
The next phase of the IPTV revolution The next phase of the IPTV revolution Merely a concept at the start of the century, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) has already completed the first stage of its growth, moving from an idea to... Read more >>
Microsoft mediaroom: Microsoft’s connected TV services platform Microsoft mediaroom: Microsoft’s connected TV services platform Driven by computer and network technologies, TV is undergoing a paradigm shift that is not only changing TV itself but also how people consume media... Read more >>
European Microsoft innovation center (EMIC): overcoming information overload and ‘the crisis of choice' European Microsoft innovation center (EMIC): overcoming information overload and ‘the crisis of choice' Year by year, the flood of content is rising all around us: television channels, books, music and the Internet - where not only traditional media but... Read more >>
Livestation the ‘spark of live’ TV on your computer Livestation the ‘spark of live’ TV on your computer Back in 2001, Matteo Berlucchi, an Italian entrepreneur and academic, was ploughing through his email inbox trying to sort out the important messages... Read more >>
Internet telephony: global innovation in the heart of europe Internet telephony: global innovation in the heart of europe Today, the efficient and innovative distribution and processing of information is at the core of all business activity – so the effects of new... Read more >>
A 2020 vision for global research libraries A 2020 vision for global research libraries Global Research Library 2020 (GRL 2020) is an initiative of the University of Washington Libraries and Microsoft Corporation to bring together global... Read more >>
The tablet PC and mathematics The tablet PC and mathematics The Tablet PC has broadened our concept of how we use a personal computer: a mobile computer with a screen that allows for inputs via a pen or... Read more >>
Pushing the boundaries in graphics hardware Pushing the boundaries in graphics hardware The folks at RARE, one of the iconic pioneers in computer gaming, like to joke that the quiet surrounds of their headquarters, deep in the UK... Read more >>
“What if …?” - Breaking new ground in enterprise resource planning visualisation “What if …?” - Breaking new ground in enterprise resource planning visualisation What if you could get assistance for your complicated business decisions by simply going through various What-If scenarios and having them visualised... Read more >>
Sophisticated graphic website and advert-tracking software set for 2008 launch Sophisticated graphic website and advert-tracking software set for 2008 launch The phenomenal growth of online advertising is driving demand for smarter tools to track results: enabling advertisers to see clearly how many people... Read more >>
Virtualisation technology transforms old mining site in Portugal into a leading centre for scientific education and research Virtualisation technology transforms old mining site in Portugal into a leading centre for scientific education and research Thanks to a unique partnership between the public, private and academic sectors in Portugal and Brazil, the decommissioned pyrite mine in Lousal, in... Read more >>