At the new Microsoft Innovation Centre, creativity could turn ideas into jobs and prosperity, ensuring the is-land’s competitiveness, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

Opening the centre, of which Microsoft has 110 in 40 countries, Dr Gonzi said the facility would help students and business start-ups develop their ideas and make them successful.

Located at Skyparks Business Centre, in Luqa, the Microsoft Innovation Centre will provide access to world-class resources for software developers, IT professionals, University students, academic faculties, entrepreneurs and business start-ups.

It offers specialised training, technology-related business skills and soft skills, proto-typing opportunities, technical support and logistics to create prototypes apart from hold-ing workshops.

Takuya Hirano, Microsoft’s general manager for Central and Eastern Europe, said the centre was a special place to be in if one happened to have a great idea, had a budding entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to be guided by those who had already treaded the same path and reached a high level of success.

The centre, with an investment of over €2 million, was achieved after Microsoft partnered with BMIT, GO, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Demajo Group and the University of Malta.

“The potential of these Microsoft Innovation Centres is backed by a very positive track record. Over the past three years, they have reached over 1.1 million students and ICT professionals and created more than 3,000 new jobs in the past 12 months,” Mr Hirano said.