Microsoft and British Telecommunications have unveiled an initiative designed to sponsor software solutions on the way from embryonic project status throughout the development process and to reality. The Redmond company has even found a source of innovations worth sponsoring in its own back garden so to speak. Microsoft announced that six teams of finalists from the 2007 Imagine Cup in Seol, South Korea will see their ideas come to life with funds from the Redmond company and BT.

"Imagine Cup is inspiring the next generation of technology leaders to apply the magic of software to solve the world's big challenges", said S. Somasegar, corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft. "The Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator works to make this happen in a very tangible way, by providing students with the training they need to take the next step to taking their ideas and making them a business reality."

"The ideas developed by the students during this competition truly speak volumes about the future promise of tomorrow's technology leaders," said Ivan Boyd, general manager of research at BT. "The Innovation Accelerator is an outstanding platform for young developers to display their special talents and employ their creativity to promote entrepreneurship and, in turn, economic development. We look forward to offering encouragement, know-how and support to these talented individuals in January 2008."

Thailand - Team 3KC Returns/Project LiveBook; Korea - Team En#605/Project Finger Code; Jamaica - Team ICAD/Project CADI; Ireland - Team inGest/Project Signal-Sign Language Learning Environment; Mexico - Team Wisdom Spice/Project Wisdom Spice and Poland - Team InPUT/Project Onespace are the six teams that will enjoy Microsoft sponsorship to build their software via the company's Imagine Cup Innovation Accelerator program. Microsoft gave the example of four students from the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, that were among the 2006 Imagine Cup finalist teams. The company they created, dubbed Trailblazers, offers navigation software for physically disabled people.