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Microsoft's 2009 Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards Call for Entries Now Open

Posted on: Thursday, 12 March 2009, 11:00 CDT

REDMOND, Wash., March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the call for entries for the 2009 Microsoft Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards, recognizing breakthroughs in the use of Microsoft technology. Awarded annually, the Microsoft Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Awards provide an opportunity for pharmaceutical and life sciences companies to demonstrate their application of available software and devices, as well as the creation of new solutions, to revolutionize medical breakthroughs, improve healthcare and enhance one's quality of life.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

This year's competition will recognize the positive impact that new and innovative technologies are delivering in the areas of discovery and product innovation, sales and marketing, manufacturing and supply chain, and clinical development. Pharmaceutical and life sciences corporations worldwide are eligible, including those in the areas of biotechnology, diagnostics, medical equipment, animal health, nutritional products and consumer health.

One award will be presented in each category to eligible pharmaceutical or life sciences corporations that best demonstrate leadership in improving business operations through the deployment of Microsoft technologies. Implementations for consideration must include the use of Microsoft BizTalk Server, the Microsoft Office system, Windows Mobile, Microsoft Surface, Microsoft SQL Server or other Microsoft technologies.

Here are the four award categories and judging criteria:

-- Discovery and Product Innovation. This award recognizes technological innovation that enhances a pharmaceutical or life sciences corporation's ability to deliver safer and more efficacious products to the market by reducing complexity, lowering cost, and enhancing the speed and quality of the discovery process.

-- Sales and Marketing. This award recognizes technological innovation that enhances a pharmaceutical or life sciences corporation's ability to inform and educate physicians and healthcare professionals, consumers, and insurance and benefits plan providers about the benefits, value and safety of the pharmaceutical and healthcare offerings produced.

-- Manufacturing and Supply Chain. This award recognizes the use of innovative technology to improve a pharmaceutical or life sciences firm's ability to expedite the delivery of products to consumers by reducing complexity and costs, improving productivity, and enhancing product life-cycle management, compliance, safety, quality and speed to use through advancements in manufacturing and supply chain.

-- Clinical Development. The winner in this category will be the pharmaceutical or life sciences company demonstrating innovative use of Microsoft technologies in drug development, biotechnology, medical and diagnostic devices, or animal health and consumer health products, resulting in the company's ability to improve time to market and quality during clinical trials, analysis and submission.

Awards Schedule

Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. PDT Monday, May 4, 2009. Microsoft will announce the winners at the Drug Information Association's annual meeting in San Diego in June 2009. Winners will also be announced in an upcoming Microsoft national advertisement. Additional information and access to an entry kit is available at the Events & Webcasts section of Microsoft's Life Sciences Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/lifesciences. To enter, participants should download the entry form and e-mail their completed documents to lsia@microsoft.com. The Participant Release Form must be signed and faxed to the attention of Monika Skibeness at (425) 936-7329. More information about the awards is available from Monika Skibeness at (425) 870- 4880.

About Microsoft in Health

Microsoft is committed to improving health around the world through software innovation. Over the past 12 years, Microsoft has steadily increased its investments in health, with a focus on addressing the challenges of health providers, health and social services organizations, payers, consumers, and life sciences companies worldwide. Microsoft closely collaborates with a broad ecosystem of partners and develops its own powerful health solutions, such as Amalga and HealthVault. Together, Microsoft and its industry partners are working to advance a vision of unifying health information and making it more readily available, ensuring the best quality of life and affordable care for everyone.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Source: PR Newswire

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