Microsoft is expected to establish an innovation center insouth China's Hainan Province, the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland,according to an agreement signed between Microsoft and the Hainan provincialgovernment on Sunday.

Based on Microsoft's leading technology platform, theMicrosoft Innovation Center will attract software enterprises in the fields oftourism and agriculture to Hainan, said Li Guoliang, deputy governor of Hainan.Li said the government hopes to nurture an ecology-related industrial softwarechain worth 5 billion yuan (798 million U.S. dollars).

Microsoft will also build a "Microsoft ITAcademy" in Hainan to boost the training of IT experts.

Microsoft will carry out strategic cooperation with Hainanregarding technological development, software training and intellectualproperty rights protection, according to a memorandum of understanding inked bythe Hainan provincial government and Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd. on thesidelines of the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia.

Microsoft Group Vice President Orlando Ayala said globaltourism hot spots are moving to the Asia-Pacific region, adding that thecompany's cooperation with Hainan will prop up the province's efforts to becomea major international tourist destination.

Microsoft Innovation Centers are state-of-the-artfacilities designed to foster collaboration on innovative research, technologyand software solutions, involving a combination of government, academic andindustry participants.

(Source: SIPO 2013-04-17)