We are inviting nominations for Innovation Week for Startups interested in building Windows 7 applications that target the following scenarios:

• Windows touch (ink, multi-touch gesture support, handwriting recognition) applications
• Sensor network applications (GPS, light, motion)
• Rich client/animation applications

If selected, Incubation Week will provide an opportunity to:

• Learn and build next generation application on Windows 7 platform with the help of on-site advisors.
• Listen and learn from experts about successful ventures and legal issues
• Generate marketing buzz for your idea
• Create potential opportunity and exposure to be highlighted at the Windows 7 launch

The Windows 7 Incubation Week will be held at Microsoft Technology Center in Irvine, CA from April 27 to May 1. This event consists of half-day of training, 3 ½ days of active prototype/development time, and a final day for packaging/finishing and reporting out to a panel of judges for various prizes.

This event is a no-fee event (plan your own travel expenses) and each team can bring three participants (one business and one or two technical). To nominate your team, please submit the following details to Suresh Sreedharan or Woody Pewitt. Nominations will be judged according to the strength of the founding team, originality and creativity of the idea, and ability to leverage Windows 7 Platform. 

Please include the following information in your nomination:

• Name
• Web Site URL
• Mailing Address
• Solution Overview
• Target Industry
• Company Size and Year Founded
• Name, brief bio, and contact information for each participant

Windows 7 will create new market opportunities for software vendors to build richer application experience with more natural user interaction like Windows touch (ink, gesture support and handwriting recognition), new taskbar, rich animation framework and extensible ribbon. Windows 7 provides a solid development platform and innovative tools in addition to providing the best of Windows and the web by enabling rich web experience and extending web services to client applications.

Whether or not you apply for Innovation Week, if you're a startup you can enroll in the Microsoft BizSpark. BizSpark helps software startups leverage Microsoft development and platform technologies to deliver next generation web and Software + Services applications.