An Innovations Center was officially inaugurated Wednesday at Sofia's Technology University as part of Innovation Day 2009, organized by Microsoft Bulgaria for the third consecutive year.

The center was opened by the CEO of Microsoft Bulgaria, Ognyan Kiryakov, the US Ambassador to Sofia, Nancy McEldowney, the President of the Technology University, Professor Kamen Vesselinov, and the Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian State IT Agency, Dimitar Stanchev.

The new center is a joint project of Microsoft and the University. It will be used by both students and professors to access the most contemporary computer systems and to develop projects based on the newest Microsoft platforms and technologies. The investment is estimated at BGN 25,000.

In addition, Microsoft announced on Tuesday the start of the new global program Microsoft BizSpark, designed to provide support for new IT companies in Bulgaria. The three-year long membership is free and offers free access to software solutions and platforms, technical maintenance and support, and provides contacts with potential partners, clients and investors. Upon membership termination, the companies will only have to pay a one-time fee of USD 100.

"These are very exciting programs. They represent the best Microsoft traditions in the aim to help Bulgaria develop its full potential, the same way the "Gates" Foundation strives to make the world a better place," Ambassador McEldowney said Wednesday, during the opening ceremony, which also included demonstrations and test runs of Microsoft newest products such as Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Azure Services Platform Рё Microsoft Surface.