Microsoft and partners to open new tech-focused school in Bellevue, Washington

Creating technology of the future has been occurring around the world at both universities and private companies. However the process doesn’t happen without work and investment of time and money. In an attempt to spur innovation and continue the tradition of Seattle being a tech hub, Microsoft has partnered with the University of Washington and Tsinghua University in China to build a new technology-focused school. The school will be called the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) and will be located in Bellevue Washington’s Spring District.

Frequently schools and companies in the US partner with Chinese companies and schools to develop new education centers in China, but this time GIX will be located in the US. This partnership will lead to the collaboration between industry and education in a way to drive new innovation around emerging tech trends such as, IoT, smart cities, connected devices, and much more. Students will begin fall 2016 starting with Master of Science in Technology Innovation degree with more programs and degrees are planned as the school expands. Initial student body size will be around 30 students, however there are plans to eventually expand that to over 3000.

Microsoft has begun the funding with a 40 million dollar investment into the school to get the ball rolling. Now the burden shifts to Washington University and Tsinghua University to bring talented instructors to GIX. While Microsoft was the first company to invest they don’t want to be the only one and will invite other tech companies to invest in the future of technology education in the Seattle area. Hopefully this school will encourage students to push the boundaries of what technology can do and how the future will be shaped. GIX will be the first US school which has been formed with partners in the US and China and hopefully the great innovations stemming from GIX will lead more to follow this model.