Microsoft chairman Bill Gates Gates today announced a partnership with UAE's Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation to enhance research and knowledge creation in the Arab world.

During his keynote address at the Government Leaders Forum—Arabia in Abu Dhabi, Gates highlighted the transformative power of education and the critical role public-private partnerships and information and communication technology (ICT) play to create a strong, vibrant economy across the region.

He also announced a renewed five-year commitment to the Partners in Learning programme that aims to significantly expand its impact worldwide, reaching up to three times as many students, teachers and schools.

“Technology has touched millions of lives and played a significant role in fostering economic development across the region,” Gates said.

“Microsoft’s goal is to work in close partnership with governments and partner organisations to help them use technology to accelerate social and economic development. This Government Leaders Forum is a great opportunity for leaders from the public and private sectors to discuss the critical issues they face and create a road map for moving forward together.”

The strategic partnership between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation and Microsoft will enhance research, knowledge creation and the infrastructure of higher education across the Arab world. Microsoft will support the foundation by designing and implementing a state-of-the-art technology platform in the Arab world establishing a collaborative research and knowledge creation environment.

The platform will make it easy for professors, researchers and academic institutions to communicate with each other and exchange research and other knowledge.

Announcing a renewed commitment over the next five years to Partners in Learning, Microsoft is continuing to provide educators and partners with resources and training that can best complement classroom technology and allow students to reach their full potential. The goal of Partners in Learning is to leverage the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that bring students and teachers closer worldwide.

Since its launch in 2003, Partners in Learning has touched the lives of more than 90 million students, teachers, and education policymakers in 101 countries. Microsoft is aiming to triple the impact of Partners in Learning, representing a new, five-year $235.5 million investment, which will bring the company’s total 10-year investment in Partners in Learning to nearly $500 million.

In the next four years, the region’s IT sector (in this case comprising Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE) will generate more than 210,000 new jobs and account for the creation of more than 4,100 new IT companies, according to a new study by IDC. The research highlighted that in 2007 Microsoft-related activities were responsible for 57 per cent of the region’s IT employment.

“Today, technology is a key factor for economic, social and technological progress, and for the sustainability of economies all over the world,” said Jyoti Lalchandani, vice president and regional managing director, IDC Middle East and Africa.

“The IDC research underscores what we’ve always known to be true, that software provides a disproportionate contribution to a vibrant IT economy. It also shows the significant contribution made by the Microsoft ecosystem, especially in the creation of local businesses and local jobs.” - TradeArabia News Service