YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The regional phase of Microsoft's "Imagine Cup" contest will start on December 20 in Armenia for the first time. NT was informed by the contest's organizational committee that "2008 Imagine Cup" will be held under the slogan "Imagine a World, in which Information Technologies Contribute to Improvement of the Environment". According to organizers, this contest has been held since 2003 and provides young specialists from various countries with the opportunity to discover their potential for creation of technologies and innovations. The groups participating in the first phase of the regional "Imagine Cup" contest, have to fill in an application and sumbit a software description for solution of the proposed problem by February 15, 2008. The groups have to be composed of three students (post-graduate students and those studying for a Master's degree may be included) and one lecturer - head of the group. During the second phase (until April 20), the participant groups have to present software for solution of the proposed problem, and the presentation of the software solutions that have reached finals will take place by April 25. The groups to submit the best solutions will receive monetary prizes. The best group will represent Armenia at the world "Imagine Cup" contest to be held in Paris in the summer of 2008. The organizers of the contest's regional phase are Microsoft Armenia Office, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, the USAID "Competitive Armenian Private Sector" (CAPS) Program, while its sponsors are Synopsys Armenia, Bi Line and Unicomp companies and the Union of IT Enterprises of Armenia.

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