Published June 18 2015
City officials are thrilled that the University of Washington, Tsinghua University in China and Microsoft Corp. have selected Bellevue as the future home of a groundbreaking partnership to educate innovators from around the world.
The Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) will attract top students, faculty, professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world to tackle some of the biggest technology and design challenges around. As the UW announced today in downtown Bellevue, the GIX will be in Bellevue's Spring District, a major commercial and residential neighborhood now under construction by developer Wright-Runstad in the city's Bel-Red area.
Bel-Red is located between the UW and Microsoft's main campus in Redmond. In 2023, light rail will provide a direct link between the two campuses, with stops at the Spring District and downtown Bellevue, approximately one mile away.
"Bellevue is an ideal location for the Global Innovation Exchange, and we welcome the UW with open arms," said Mayor Claudia Balducci. "Microsoft is already our largest employer, and we are thrilled with the company's latest commitment to the community -- a reflection of our own commitment to forward-looking economic development. We believe the presence of GIX will enhance Bellevue and the Eastside as a center for technology, entrepreneurism and international business."
On hand to unveil the project downtown were Gov. Jay Inslee, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Interim University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce, and Qui Yong, president of Tsinghua University in China. Nadella said that Microsoft will provide $40 million in "foundational funding" for the project and that the company is "deeply committed" to GIX.
Bellevue is the commercial center for the Eastside with more than 136,000 jobs. A variety of major companies call Bellevue home, including Paccar, T-Mobile, Symetra, Puget Sound Energy and Esterline. About 20 percent of Bellevue jobs are in the information technology sector.
The city also benefits from its international character and is considered a gateway to the Pacific Rim. More than 38 percent of Bellevue's 134,400 residents are foreign born, and 33 percent of that population is from China.
GIX will open its doors in the fall of 2016 with an inaugural program based on a 15-month master's degree in technology innovation to support the growth in connected devices.
Within a decade, UW expects more than 3,000 learners to be studying at GIX, in a project-based environment.
Locating GIX in Bellevue fulfills an important City Council priority to develop an educational institution to attract local and international talent. The city's economic development plan calls for the cultivation of a "next generation" of technology entrepreneurs and GIX can help facilitate that vision.