Centre for Technology Infusion

Microsoft Centre

The La Trobe University Microsoft Centre is a technology infusion initiative between Microsoft and La Trobe University and is supported by the State Government of Victoria and other technology providers.

The Centre is a facility for software developers (SMEs, the developer community, university students and staff) where their ideas can be brought to life through the infusion of cutting edge hardware and software. This facility is aimed at creating better Student to Business linkages as well as lowering the infrastructure barriers and ensuring that the latest platforms are available to software developers for research and product development.

The facilities and activities in the Centre are closely aligned to the Microsoft platform that in turn will contribute to economic growth through development and transfer of technology, new IP and relevant world class skills transfer.

Since 2009, the Microsoft Centre has been upgraded to house the Microsoft BizSpark program that provides Software, Support and Visibility for Software Startups.

Microsoft® BizSpark™

Information for Start-ups

Microsoft BizSpark program is designed to provide early stage Startups with software, support, and visibility to help ignite their success. The program provides access to:

• Software. Fully featured development tools, including Visual Studio Team System, plus production licensing to develop and bring your solution to market.
• Support. BizSpark provides you with professional technical support from Microsoft and connects you to a global community of business experts who can help guide you through the hurdles of growing your business.
• Visibility. Through BizSpark, you will have the opportunity to achieve global visibility to an audience of potential investors, clients and partners.

Eligibility requirements are minimal: If you are a privately held company building a software-based product or service (even using open source code), in business for fewer than three years, and with less than USD$1M in annual revenue, you're in!

To join BizSpark, you must be sponsored by a BizSpark Network Partner, like us. You can find more program details about this program here. When you are ready to sign up, fill out the form at the bottom of this page and we will send you an enrolment link.

Once you have the enrolment link, joining BizSpark is fast and easy. No payment or credit card information is required, and there are no upfront costs. (Microsoft will assess a USD$100 program offering fee at the end of participation in the program, or the end of three years, whichever comes first.)