Social Impact
At Microsoft we believe technology should benefit everyone, not just the fortunate few. We consider it our responsibility to create and implement technology that serves the broader good. We focus our actions and investments where we can make the biggest impact, and support those who are addressing our world’s biggest problems.
For instance, we have made a long-term commitment to working with government agencies, nonprofits and other private sector companies to provide aid to victims of humanitarian crises, and help them lead better lives. We believe technology can be a powerful force for empowering nonprofits to achieve their mission.
Czech team X.GLU’s innovative solution for helping children with diabetes wins the $100,000 Imagine Cup grand prize
This year’s Imagine Cup World Finals saw 54 teams travel to Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, all fighting for a shot at the grand prize of $100,000, a mentoring session with CEO Satya Nadella, a $120,000 Azure Grant, and a trip to the company’s Build developer conference next year. After intense … Read more »
Meet Europe’s challengers for the 2017 Imagine Cup World Finals
As Microsoft outlines in its A Cloud for Global Good policy roadmap, technology can empower us all, helping to improve our world in countless ways. From environmental sustainability, protecting human rights, empowering the disabled and disadvantaged, driving up literacy rates and much more, technological innovation has the power to make … Read more »
How technology enables the Red Cross to achieve more
A natural disaster has a significant impact on people’s lives. Aid such as medicine, food and water are essential and scarce during times of need. However, the need for aid changes rapidly: refugees, victims and missing persons increasingly need technological help to communicate and find family members. Furthermore, relief organizations … Read more »
$100,000 and a mentoring session with Satya Nadella: this is the Microsoft Imagine Cup
Around 15 years ago, two Microsoft employees – Laurent Ellerbach and Morris Sim – came up with an idea to engage students from around the world, and to inspire them to push their technology skills and innovation to the limit. This was the birth of the Microsoft Imagine Cup. To … Read more »
Fires in Portugal: how advanced analytics can help with decision making
On 17 June, Portugal’s Pedrogão Grande region saw the country’s deadliest forest fire in history – the 11th deadliest worldwide since 1900 – which sadly resulted in the loss of more than 60 lives. During such tragedies, the value of information, and the actions and decisions taken from them, can … Read more »
Technology transforms migrants’ lives in Italy
Today, on World Refugee Day, we join the world in focusing on the global refugee crisis, sharing stories to help raise awareness of the challenges facing millions of people around the world – people like Mohamed, a refugee from Sierra Leone, who has been living in Italy for one and … Read more »
Microsoft Netherlands staff go ‘blind for a day’ to help increase visual impairment awareness
More than 350,000 people in the Netherlands are visually impaired, and only 35% of adults with visual impairment have a job compared to 67% of the general working population. Visual impairment can happen to anyone of us at any time. Microsoft Netherlands’ M&O lead Cara Antoine herself suffered from an … Read more »
Microsoft Denmark’s Refugee Academy and Job café support refugees in their new lives
As with many other European countries, Denmark has seen an influx in the number of refugees entering the country. Many of these refugees have left their houses in dangerous areas of conflict, entering a new country after long periods or hardship, in search of safety and stability. Stepping foot into … Read more »
