While some might answer with Windows or Internet Explorer, others may answer with OneCare or Windows Defender, and still, some might answer with SQL or Server 2003 or even Office Word. These are all excellent examples of who Microsoft is and I can understand why you would think of them when hearing the name, Microsoft.
But, the name I was thinking of and the one that seems to be much less known is Microsoft Research. This division is changing the way technology is used across the globe. “We’re focusing more on research than ever. We’re building the technology that will enable computers to see, listen, speak, and learn so people can interact with them as naturally as they interact with other people” says Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect.
Let's take a quick look at some Microsoft Research facts:
- In 1991, Microsoft® Corp. became one of the first software companies to create its own computer science research organization. As part of a dynamic industry that is continually reinventing itself, Microsoft saw the need to support long-term computer-science research—research that is not bound by product cycles—so there would be new foundations and technology breakthroughs upon which future generations could build.
- Over the last 14 years, Microsoft Research has evolved into an organization with more than 700 researchers studying more than 55 research areas. These include speech recognition, information retrieval, user-interface research, programming tools and methodologies, operating systems and networking, graphics, natural language processing, machine learning, and mathematical sciences.
- Microsoft researchers work closely with product-development groups to transfer research technology into Microsoft products. Nearly every Microsoft product on the market today has been influenced by the work of Microsoft Research. The organization’s independence from product groups also enables Microsoft Research to focus on a long-term (10-15 years out) research vision, setting its sights on grand challenges.
- Microsoft Research is based on an open academic model. Many of the researchers maintain their academic ties and continue to collaborate with the research community through participation and attendance at conferences, acting on committees, and publishing papers for peer review.
- The diversity of scientists at Microsoft Research is an important component of the innovation that comes out of this group. We have researchers from all backgrounds, from psychologists and sociologists to anthropologists and medical doctors, working together to find answers to computer science’s greatest challenges. This mixture of the social and the technical strikes the right balance to deliver long-term, companywide innovation.
- Prestigious national and international honors bestowed upon Microsoft researchers include the National Medal of Technology, the Turing Award of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology, the Fields Medal of the International Mathematical Union, and the British knighthood. Several Microsoft researchers are members of the National Academy of Engineering, and others have received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award for Technical Achievement.
- While Microsoft Research focuses on basic research, two new efforts in collaboration with MSN are focused on delivering cutting-edge technologies through applied research. The adCenter Incubation Lab and Live Labs bring together top-notch researchers and product teams to incubate and to provide rapid prototypes of advertising and search technologies, respectively.
- While most of Microsoft Research is located at the company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters, there are also facilities in Silicon Valley; Beijing; Cambridge, U.K.; and Bangalore, India.
Microsoft Research Silicon Valley - Established in August 2001 on the Microsoft campus in Mountain View, Calif., the lab employs 25 researchers who focus on distributed computing, including privacy, security, resource location, protocols, the Internet as a platform, reliability, availability, scalability, management, and related theory.
Microsoft Research Asia - The Beijing lab was founded in 1998. As with the other Microsoft Research labs, the talents of its researchers will largely guide the research focus of the Beijing lab. More than 150 researchers are developing next-generation multimedia applications and Asia-specific computing technologies such as adapted user interfaces and language-conversion systems.
Microsoft Research Cambridge - Research at the facility in Cambridge encompasses programming languages, security, information retrieval, and operating systems and networking. Established in July 1997, the lab has grown to more than 80 researchers.
Microsoft Research India - Microsoft Research India was established in January 2005 in Bangalore. The lab’s mission is to conduct long-term basic and applied research in multilingual systems, technologies for emerging markets, geographical-information systems, sensor networks, and software productivity. The lab also will collaborate with Indian research institutions and universities to support scientific progress and innovation.
For more information about Microsoft Research, please visit www.research.microsoft.com!