The University of Cincinnati has announced its latest partner within the newly minted Cincinnati Innovation District, but it’s not a traditional tenant, per se – rather, a global tech giant that will help it continue to develop and attract top tech talent to the state.
UC and Microsoft formally announced a new strategic agreement on Friday, although work has been going on behind the scenes for months.
The agreement is significant, David Adams, UC’s chief information officer and lead coordinator for the Cincinnati Innovation District, told me. Microsoft is the first organization that lives largely outside Cincinnati to engage with the university at this level.
UC and Microsoft are working to develop programs to “skill, reskill and upskill” current and future employees, among other initiatives. UC opened the 1819 Innovation Hub in 2018, which is one anchor for the Cincinnati Innovation District. Both are part of an overall effort to develop 15,000 STEM grads over the next 10 years.
“Having a partner in a global tech giant like Microsoft, to me, is testament that we are beginning to have a national impact with respect to this district and this university,” Adams said. “As we talk to our partners and our businesses, it’s clear that digital skills are not just limited to individuals with digital backgrounds. We all live and work in the digital economy. Digital is not limited to tech businesses; it finds itself in retail, manufacturing, higher education.”
To that effect, UC and Microsoft have been working on developing various programs and initiatives for about the past year for students, faculty and enterprise customers, said Chris Carper, director of Microsoft’s customer success team in Cincinnati.
Microsoft, he said, has launched a number of initiatives to help people worldwide acquire necessary digital skills. The company has expanded educational partnerships in cities like Houston and Atlanta to train kids and young adults on tech, big data and artificial intelligence.
Carper said he saw an opportunity to replicate that here. Microsoft, locally, has about 80 employees in the region with a sales and consulting office in Blue Ash.
“One of the things we see on a frequent basis with the organizations we work with is this skills gap,” Carper said. “We want to make Cincinnati a tech hub. It’s a great opportunity to create a long-standing program that will hopefully outlast us all.”
As part of the strategic agreement, Microsoft is offering support for an early college IT program targeting high school and continuing education students; curriculum development in computer science; and the development of technical certification programs in cloud, data and AI. The agreement will also expand the university’s “digital core” in traditional and non-traditional STEM programs.
Microsoft is already engaging with the university through a variety of other programs, including leveraging LinkedIn tools for students preparing for co-ops and internships, access to tools like Microsoft Learn, providing online learning paths and resources for students to get hands-on experience with technology.
“It’s a little early, but there’s an opportunity to provide digital fluency to all 47,000 students that are at the University of Cincinnati,” Adams said. “It’s not limited to what we think of as traditional tech fields.”
The agreement is for two years, and neither Adams nor Carper would disclose the specific terms. But both said the intention is to have a long-term relationship. Carper said Microsoft doesn’t have any immediate plans to maintain a physical presence in the Cincinnati Innovation District, but is “looking at options where we could best position ourselves.”
“It [this agreement] puts a stake in the ground,” he said.
The Cincinnati Innovation District was recently unveiled in March by Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted along with a 10-year plan to create more than 15,000 STEM graduates, $2 billion dollars in research and real estate development by JobsOhio and the state.
The district, anchored by UC and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, will serve as a "blueprint" and ensure Cincinnati is a magnet for the type of talent that attracts Fortune 500, mid-size and developing startup companies. JobsOhio has committed to invest up to $100 million in the effort.
The district is expected to attract significant investment in mixed-use buildings that will provide office/lab, retail, housing and nightlife for job creation, private investment and talent seeking an urban experience.
