Post on 22-May-2020
Realising Potential in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEHEADQUARTERS
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MIDDLE EAST HEADQUARTERS
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AFRICA HEADQUARTERS
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MICROSOFT EMEA HEADQUARTERS
Microsoft EMEACoeur Défense - Tour B, 37e étage100, esplanade du Général de Gaulle92932 Paris la Défense Cedex - France
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“ I n t h e e i g h t e e n m o n t h sI h a v e w o r k e d h e r e a t
R a n d a l l C l o s e t h em o s t p l e a s u r e
h a s b e e n w a t c h i n gp e o p l e b l o s s o m a s
t h e y h a v e l e a r n t n e w s k i l l s .T h a n k y o u .”
P a u l C l i s s o l dRe m e m b e r i n g J o y
A Leonard Cheshire publicationFor more information, please contact randall@lk.leonard-cheshire.org.uk
Supported by Microsoft
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At Microsoft we see every day the powerful role that technology plays in
enabling people, businesses and entire nations to realise their full potential.
This is what inspires us, both in our business and in our social investments.
Our commitment is strong and simple – to help put information technology to
work for people’s dreams and to fuel the future.
It’s what drives our firm commitment to partnerships with governments, local
communities and local ICT industries to support economic growth, job creation,
innovation and social inclusion. We believe that public-private partnerships are
essential to address many of the big challenges and opportunities of our time:
to build a sustainable and vibrant information society for all; to create break-
throughs in science and technology; to combat poverty and exclusion, parti-
cularly in education and access to technology and skills; and to enhance job
creation, entrepreneurship and employability through skills training.
Today in EMEA we are working in partnership with thousands of independent
software businesses, with national and local governments, the education and
research communities in many countries, and with local and international
NGOs and humanitarian agencies.
In this publication you will find examples of these partnerships, from our work
with the Slovak Customs Directorate and the governments of Yemen and
Namibia, to our support of ICT access for young people in inner-city London
and in schools across Africa.
These partnerships are inspiring and deeply enriching experiences for
Microsoft and our employees. And they provide our partners in business and
the community with access to the tools and support they need to achieve
their goals.
My personal commitment, and that of Microsoft, is to continue working
through such partnerships to help ensure that the real potential of technology
to be a force for economic and social progress is fully realised and open to all.
Jean-Philippe CourtoisPresident, Microsoft International
“Our commitment is strong and simple – to help put information technology
to work for people’s dreams and to fuel the future.”
Jean-Philippe Courtois – President, Microsoft International
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Par tnerships in EMEA■ western europe 6■ centra l and eastern europe 12■ middle east 18■ afr ica 24■ innovat ion in EMEA 30
facts & f igures 34par tners & photography 35
Realising Potential in Europe, theMiddle East and Africa
Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) encompasses more than 60 local offices anddelivers products and services in more than 139 countries across the region. In this publicationyou will find just a few examples of our many partnerships: enabling people, organisations andbusinesses throughout the region to realise their full potential.
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western
In Lisbon, March 2000, the EU Heads of States and Governments
agreed to make the EU “the most competitive and
dynamic knowledge-driven economy by 2010.” Information and
communications technology (ICT) is already the most productive
sector of the European economy, but the Lisbon Agenda set goals
for increased investment in R&D, a reduction in red tape to
promote entrepreneurship and an employment rate of 70 per cent.
Some progress has been made on fostering innovation in
Europe's economy, but there is growing concern that the ambitious
goals will not be achieved. Europe invests only €80 in ICT research
per head as compared to €400 in the US. Its population is rapidly
ageing: by 2050 there will be 173 million people aged 65 and
over, and this exacerbates the problem of long-term structural
unemployment. We are working with partners across Europe to
invest in R&D, education and life long learning: creating empowering
new technologies that will help close the gap between the
information society ‘haves and have nots.’
“Microsof t has set a h igh standard in how the voluntary sector can work with
the corporate sector. Enable I re land has benef i ted in more ways than one
f rom this par tnership , in terms of bestpract ice and high standards , which carry
over into maintain ing the re lat ionshipthrough shared exper t i se .”
Kate Raymond, Manager of Dubl in Adult Serv ices , Enable I re land
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SpainPor tugal
UK europe
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9
“Pupils are using their time more
efficiently both in and out of school.
They are learning more and are
much more capable of working
by themselves than other
children of their age.”
Jose Antonio Blesa, Head Teacher, Ariño Primary School
In remote rural areas, pupils can’t always access the resources available to
children in large towns and cities. This leaves schools in these regions to
seek innovative solutions to provide their pupils with an educational head
start. Located in a village in northeast Spain with a population of just 900,
Ariño Primary School is one of the first to benefit from an agreement
between Microsoft and the regional government of Aragon. The partners
are setting up a series of projects that promote ICT-aided teaching in
schools, transform the teaching style, the role of the teacher and the way in
which children learn.
The school has been supplied with portable Tablet PCs for use in class. The
children use the Internet to research subjects and follow interactive lessons
at their own pace. They find the lessons exciting and are more motivated to
learn. And it has transformed the role of teachers. Instead of instructing
from the front of the class, they can coach and direct individuals and small
groups of children.
Using wireless technology, pupils study online after school, work with
friends and send questions to their teachers. This means that the normal
school day can be set aside for social activities, discussions, sports and arts
where teacher-led, group learning is more appropriate.
The project has been so successful that the Ministry of Education in Aragon has
decided to provide 14,000 Tablet PCs for schools over the next three years.
And six other regional governments are introducing Tablet PCs and wireless
networks into their local schools.
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Ariño School Tablet PCs ICT transforms teaching in rural schoolsSpain
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KarrotInternet bus provides online access
in the inner city
The London borough of Southwark’s population is young and deprivation
levels are the twelfth highest in England and Wales. The Karrot Project
was developed with the involvement of young people to increase school
attendance and reduce youth crime by addressing their key concerns: lack of
local activities, boredom and a lack of recognition.
Led by The Metropolitan Police Service in partnership with the local
Council, Karrot provides an Internet Bus which tours the borough providing
technology, software and trained staff ‘on the doorstep’. Microsoft support
for the project, which includes providing training, tools and staff volunteers,
will allow the bus to travel around Southwark youth clubs, estates and parks
at the weekend in addition to its current weekday activity. Helping it reach
an additional 4,000 young people per year.
The bus is equipped with 10 high-end PCs and the latest Microsoft software.
Volunteers give interactive lessons using a smartboard and digital projector.
And the bus is also a mobile recording studio holding regular music tutorials.
As well as offering a web cafe, Karrot will soon provide a more educationally
based, structured programme to support the UK’s national teaching
curriculum.
Another part of the programme involves a mentoring scheme organised in
partnership with Karrot and the Youth Education Support Services (YESS), a
local community school. Under the scheme, students come into MSN’s
London offices every week, where they are matched with a Microsoft
employee. Together they work through school projects, prepare for exams
or talk about career plans. Both the students and their mentors tell us that
this pilot programme has been very successful. Now that its rollout is fully
underway we are matching more students with the new volunteers.
UKUniversity of Trás-os-Montes and Alto DouroLaying the foundations of an information society
in a remote corner of EuropePortugal
“ Informat ion technology i s one of
the univers i ty's key areas of
research and teaching so we
thought let 's use th is knowledge
to help the local community.”
Arsénio Reis , Technical Director of
the Univers i ty's Center of Informat ics
In a remote corner of Europe, technology has connected local people with
the suppliers of vital government services such as medicine, education, road
maintenance and water.
Known as “the corner of the corner of Europe,” Trás-os-Montes is a relatively
poor and isolated agricultural area in the mountainous northeast of Portugal.
Many of its brightest young people have emigrated to urban areas or have left
the country to make a better living. Local government provides the people
with vital services, but the only way to access these services is through 84
small one-stop shops run by the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto
Douro from offices scattered across the region.
Technology can have a dramatic effect on the delivery of government
services and the university decided to use its expertise in ICT to bring government
closer to the people. Building on Microsoft technology they developed and
launched a web portal (www.tras-os-montes.net) to direct citizen requests
and queries to the relevant government service provider.
Now local people have a fast and simple way to access public services. They
can make a doctor’s appointment, obtain a social security certificate, arrange
a water connection or pay a bill. And the system caters for all citizens. Those
with limited knowledge or access to the Internet use the one-stop shops.
Those with Internet access use the portal.
The portal is a great way for emigrants to keep a connection with their
home region. In its first year of operation, more than 200 non-residents
registered to access portal services. And practically any organisation can
plug into the portal. Plans are afoot to open it up to private sector service
providers, water suppliers, private hospitals and medical laboratories:
electronically linking the people of Trás-os-Montes with the outside world.
“My f i r s t day at MSN
was a great exper ience .
My mentor made me fee l that
I was in charge and ta lked to me
about my ideas . They have real ly bui l t
up my conf idence . We have ta lked about
bus iness p lans and i t has made me
real i se that I can go out there and
set up my own bus iness and
that I wi l l be successfu l .”
Bayo, 19 , YESS student
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central and eastern europe
In the past two decades, Central and Eastern Europe has
undergone a profound economic and social transition starting
with the fall of the Berlin Wall and culminating in the accession of
eight countries from the region to the European Union in May
2004. Whilst most countries have now put in place the basic
institutional frameworks for open market-based democracies,
and growth and investment are robust, they still face considerable
challenges to modernise the infrastructure, skills and business
methods that are vital to compete in the global economy.
Improving public sector efficiency, investment in workforce
skills and promoting the integration of vulnerable groups in
the labour market are all critical for sustained economic
growth and prosperity across the region and raising living
standards for everyone.
“ This i s a unique and impor tant in i t iat ive . As one of the wor ld ’s f i r s t community learning
centres for refugees , i t i s a def in ing moment onthe road to a t ru ly inc lus ive informat ion soc iety,
and in our f ive-year par tnership with Microsof t . Working with
committed , pass ionate and innovat ive peoplefrom the bus iness community i s
enabl ing UNHCR to real ly so lve problems and provide modern, last ing so lut ions .”
Dennis B la i r, UNHCR Deputy Representat ive
in the Russ ian Federat ion
12 13
Bulgar iaHungar ySlovakia
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15
“[The project i s ] of nat ional
impor tance in making
informat ion technology access ib le
for v isual ly impaired people .
I t provides both a chance
to improve their profess ional
qual i f icat ions and to be more
integrated in soc iety.”
Zeynep Saraeva, Director, Foundat ion Hor izont i
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Foundation HorizontiPromoting inclusion and accessibility in Europe’s
Information SocietyBulgaria
In Bulgaria today, more than 18,000 people are permanently blind and unable
to work, while a further 40,000 have vision impairments that prevent their
easy mobility. The European Union’s i2010 strategy aims to make Europe's
Information Society as inclusive and accessible as possible. And this is a key
objective for Bulgaria as it enters the EU in 2007.
As part of an effort to meet that objective, the Bulgarian Association of
Computer Linguistics has developed Speech Lab, a Bulgarian language
text-to-speech synthesiser designed to work with Microsoft software. And to
ensure that this innovative technology reaches those who need it most,
partners Foundation Horizonti, the Bulgarian Union of the Blind and
Microsoft Bulgaria have made Speech Lab freely available throughout the
country.
The partners have also launched a community technology learning centre
equipped with eight workstations installed with Microsoft Windows XP and
Office. Through access to the latest business and productivity applications, as
well as to curriculum content that focuses on technology and computer
literacy skills, the centre is able to provide training tailored both to employment
and business skills and to real-life situations encountered by the visually impaired.
Both these projects are supported through Microsoft’s Citizenship
programme, Unlimited Potential, which supports community ICT skills
training to promote digital inclusion, employability and entrepreneurship
skills for under-served groups.
Two months after the start of the project in November 2004, it received the
Investor in Human Capital award from the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum.
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17
“With the European S ingle Market ,
t raders can more or less se lect to impor t
and expor t goods through any
European Union country,
so of course they wi l l choose those
countr ies whose customs agencies
provide the best serv ice .
The S IOUX system helps the
S lovak Customs Directorate
be a l i t t le more compet i t ive .”
Zuzana Durajova, Director of Informat ics ,
S lovak Customs Directorate
Hungarian Public Employment ServiceEmployment Portal links jobseekers to opportunities Hungary
Slovak Customs DirectorateSIOUX online customs duty payment system
speeds up import-export business Slovakia
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A lack of electronic communication at the Customs Directorate meant that
Slovak import-export traders found themselves at a disadvantage when
paying duties. Traditionally paid in cash or by bank transfer, duty payments
attracted handling risks and transactional delays. This placed financial burdens
on traders and often left their goods sitting at the border for many days.
When the Customs Directorate decided to automate and simplify its
paper-based procedures, it seemed sensible to start with the payment of
customs duties. The requirement was for an online duty payment system.
Robust and reliable, this business–critical application had to be available at
all times. In response, local ICT services company, Ditec, based its solution
on Microsoft technology, offering maximum interoperability with the
back-office systems of the country’s banks and traders.
Known as “SIOUX”, the solution allows customs declarations to be submitted
electronically. Duty is paid directly from the bank as soon as it has been
calculated. An electronic guarantee of payment, signed by digital signature
and encrypted with a public key of the Slovak Customs Directorate is sent
by the bank confirming that duty has been paid. So even if it takes several
days to process payment, Customs can release declared goods immediately.
As a result of SIOUX’s implementation, border waits have been reduced
from as long as several days to just seven minutes, helping the country’s
traders to compete more effectively in the European Union and support
local economic growth.
“[The Por ta l ] i s of ten more
convenient for people because
they are more comfor table looking
for jobs on their own.
Rather than have a s taf f member
hold the informat ion and suggest
di f ferent employment poss ib i l i t ies ,
jobseekers can look at the
informat ion themselves and
get a l l the pr ivacy they need.”
Tamas Szanto , Deputy Director General for the IT Div is ion ,
Central Employment Of f ice
The Hungarian economy has enjoyed solid growth in recent years, a rapidly
expanding job market and increased employment. A growing number of
industries and companies are now facing staff shortages and often there are
not enough people in the job market to satisfy the growing demand.
The Hungarian Public Employment Service’s (PES) 20 county offices,
174 local job centres, nine re-training centres and headquarters have
traditionally operated independently. When Hungary joined the EU in 2004,
funding was made available to re-design and integrate PES’s entire ICT
infrastructure. The new Employment Portal (www.afsz.hu) is a key element.
It is based on software developed using Microsoft technology by Sense/Net,
a local, Budapest-based Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. It provides
the 4,500 Employment Service staff with easy access to integrated business
applications and job listings from the 174 job centres. And the country’s
10 million citizens have access to the Portal to conduct job searches, freeing
up staff time for counselling and re-training.
Companies use the Portal to publicise job offers nationwide, extending the
depth and breadth of their recruitment efforts. The Portal connects to the
European Employment Services network, which provides jobseekers with
information on working and living conditions, job offers and recruitment
opportunities in other countries. And different language versions are being
developed to attract foreign workers to fill key vacancies.
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m i d d l e
The Middle East is an economically diverse region that includes
both the oil-rich economies in the Gulf and countries that are
resource-scarce. The biggest economic and social challenges
facing the region are youth unemployment, which ranges from
less than five per cent to around 30 per cent, and a strongly
growing labour force: the region will need to create about four
million jobs a year to accommodate new entrants into the job
market. We are working with governments, NGOs and others in
the region to explore fresh and innovative ideas that will remove
barriers to work and help governments take advantage of the
global knowledge economy. Together we are investing in ICT to
streamline government services and building high-quality systems of
education that will empower youth, women and the unemployed
with the skills and knowledge they need to realise their potential.
18 19
EgyptJordanYemen east
“Clear ly the benef ic iar ies of th is par tnershipwi l l be not only the s tudents , but a lso
the companies that go on to employ them, and the Bahraini economy.”
His Exce l lency Dr Maj id Al Nuaimi , Minister for Educat ion, K ingdom of Bahrain
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21
"In government we work with
the major IT vendors –
Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM –
but by far the fastest response
to our needs comes every time from
Microsoft. We chose to work
with Microsoft based on
response time and flexibility,
as well as the quality of its
technology."
Dr. Ahmed Darwish, Minister of State
for Administrative Development
The Egyptian government offers more than 700 services such as driving
licence renewals, birth certificates, and utility bill payments to citizens,
businesses, expatriate residents, and investors. But this can mean queuing
for hours during the working day at government offices.
President Hosni Mubarak has set tough targets for most government services
to be online by June 30, 2007. His vision provides for a long-needed
transformation in information management to revolutionise services for
businesses and citizens. So the government sought to provide a one-stop
shop for government services: a bilingual Arabic-English Portal that would
let citizens, foreigners, businesses, and investors browse recent government
announcements, search for information on services and access them online.
And it must seamlessly integrate with the ministries’ back-office systems.
Microsoft and local partners Raya Software, OMS and LINKdotNET, a
Cairo-based Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, responded with the Bawaba
Portal (www.egypt.gov.eg). Bawaba is expected to save ministries up to
900,000 working hours a year, time that is currently wasted in red-tape and
paper-based systems. The service is already getting 250,000 – 300,000 hits
a week. And the average number of visits to government offices to obtain
a service has been reduced to 1.5 from 3.5.
Among the services already online are applications to replace national
identity cards, requests for birth certificates, tourist complaints and taxation
and customs forms. And the first e-payments service has been implemented
on the site by Telecom Egypt so that its customers can pay their phone bills
via the Internet.
BawabaPortal provides user-friendly one-stop shop
for government services in EgyptEgypt
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23
The Republic of Yemen, one of the most rural of the Gulf states, has
5 million school children and 120,000 teachers who, in 2003, had no access
to computers. Following on a government programme to bring computers
into schools, Microsoft partnered with the Ministry of Education (MoE)
to help it develop a national ICT plan. The partners’ first priority was to
train teachers in ICT skills and provide them with technical assistance. Their
short-term goal was to train the teachers in schools that had recently received
computer hardware.
Within six months of launching the initiative, five Microsoft IT Academies for
Teacher Training (ITATTs) had been established at teacher training centres.
The ITATTs train teachers to train others in the use of ICT in the classroom.
And they provide curricula in ICT basics. Twenty MoE staff volunteers
took part in a comprehensive 10 week course. The course prepared the
participants for accreditation in the ‘International Computer Driving
License’ (ICDL). ICDL is an internationally recognised ICT skills certification
developed and maintained by the European Computer Driving License
Foundation. It also provided them with the vital ‘soft’ skills – presentation
and teaching skills – needed to pass on their knowledge to others.
Having completed their training in December 2004, the 20 MoE ‘master
trainers’ began running courses for school teachers early in 2005. The next
activity in Yemen is to train two officials at each ITATT, and eventually at
each school, in technical support and troubleshooting: building long-term
capacity at the local level to service the technology needs of the schools.
“We know what we want to achieve ,
but we don’ t a lways know how to
get there . Microsof t i s fac i l i tat ing
the process of ICT educat ion
and tra in ing for our teachers
and students .”
His Exce l lency Abdul Salaam Al-Jouf i ,Minister of Educat ion
School Technology Innovation Centres and e-VillageProviding lifelong learning opportunities for Jordanian citizensJordan
“ Through these col laborat ions with
Microsof t we are able to achieve
wider progress on our v is ion of
bui ld ing a knowledge economy.
In d i f ferent ways , both the School
Technology Innovat ion Centre and
the e-Vi l lage wi l l provide l i fe long
learning oppor tunit ies for Jordanian
ci t izens and provide them with
the serv ices and tools to become
contr ibut ing members of
the ICT economy.”
Dr. Khaled Toukan, Minister of Educat ion
Yemen Ministry of EducationYemen moves ahead in ICT teacher training Yemen
Jordan has a population of five million: a figure expected to double by 2025.
Almost a third are aged 15–29 and in recent years, the government has
actively promoted ICT development to take advantage of its young, educated
workforce. However, economic slowdown has left almost half of women
graduates unemployed.
The opening of the Regional School Technology Innovation Centre in
February 2005 marked significant progress for the Jordan e-Village
Initiative, a collaborative project between the United Nations Development
Fund for Women, the government of Jordan and Microsoft. It will provide
ICT opportunities in rural areas, ensure equal opportunities for both women
and children and build a sustainable ICT model for education in Jordan.
And it is hoped that the e-Village concept will prove a valuable educational
model for other governments across the Arab world.
Another education programme, Jordan’s Education Initiative (JEI), implemented
in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Menhaj Educational
Technologies in Amman, and Microsoft, is leading the development of a
world-class ICT National Curriculum. It will provide 520 lesson plans in
Arabic, containing multimedia elements in every lesson for teaching IT skills
in grades 1 to 10 in schools throughout the region.
Public-private partnerships such as the JEI and facilities such as the School
Technology Innovation Centres are part of Microsoft's broad effort to
increase access to technology and technology skills in schools and communities
throughout the Middle East.
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a f r i c a
Across Africa local communities and governments are grappling
with complex challenges caused by extreme poverty and lack of
access to health care, education, technology and economic
opportunity. Despite these obstacles, the 1990s saw many success
stories: Senegal and Uganda have begun to contain the spread of
AIDS/HIV and Equatorial Guinea has succeeded in reducing rates
of child mortality by more than 20 per cent. But only ten countries
are on track to meeting the United Nations’ Millennium
Development Goals (which identify the most urgent needs of the
developing world), underlining the need for urgent and concerted
partnerships to address key development priorities. At Microsoft
we are committed to playing our part in Africa's development by
forming partnerships to build the local knowledge economy:
enabling ICT access and skills development and the creation of
localised content for African communities, teachers, students,
governments and businesses.
“UNESCO is p leased to par tner and col laboratewith Microsof t and the Youth Observatory to
suppor t the establ i shment of the InfoYouth Centre for the youth of Nor th Afr ican countr ies .
Together we are provid ing the tools , technologiesand sk i l l s required by the cr i t ica l learners
and th inkers of the future in our increas inglyconnected cyber wor ld .”
Mr Abdul Waheed Khan, Ass is tant Director General of theCommunicat ion and Informat ion Sector at UNESCO
NamibiaMorocco
Pan-Afr ica
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2726
“We are now starting to use
refurbished computers from
Digital Pipeline in our schools,
as we feel that including refurbs
into our model will reduce the cost
of implementing ICT in schools,
allowing the Ministry
to do more with less.”
Johan van Wyck, Deputy Director, Information Technology, Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture
African Pathfinder and Digital PipelineEmpowering communities through access
to learning and technology Namibia
Education has always been a focal point for enabling economic and social
development in Africa. Achieving universal primary education is one of the
United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals, which identify the
most urgent needs of the developing world. In rural Africa, however, schools
often have only the most basic tools for teaching, and the digital age seems
distant indeed.
African Pathfinder seeks to bridge that divide. Two years ago, the Namibian
government and Microsoft launched the initiative to help bring computer
technology and teaching curricula to schools around the country.
Pathfinder provided pilot schools with computer systems running
Microsoft’s Learning Suite, supplying each school with a digital library and
access to digital content. In addition it offered teacher training, technical
support and advice. And it will enable 10,000 surplus computers from
developed countries to be professionally refurbished at the Digital Pipeline
Centre in Windhoek, Namibia, for use in schools and community centres.
Designed to be sustainable and scalable, the programme is capable of
running in thousands of schools across the country.
The surest mark of success came in June 2005, when Microsoft’s direct
participation in the initiative came to a close, and the Namibian government
took control of the programme.
Parts of the Pathfinder initiative will now be rolled out in other countries.
In Kenya, Microsoft is working with the government and other partners to
create a computer refurbishment centre. And teacher-training materials
created under Pathfinder are now being used in Angola, Ghana and
Uganda.
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AjialComMaisons de Jeunes provide ICT access
and learning for the community MoroccoMntandao Afrika Linking 17 countries
in an Internet adventure Pan-Africa
Mntandao Afrika is an annual pan-African technology competition for
youth aged 12–19 who design and develop multilingual educational
websites for use by students across the world. For the past two years it
has been run by pan-African NGO, SchoolNet Africa, and supported by
Microsoft in a partnership to improve digital inclusion and support the
indigenous knowledge economy.
Mntandao Afrika promotes a new style of learning. It shifts the emphasis
from classroom to pupil-centred learning in which the students take the
initiative and the teachers act as coach and facilitator.
1,000 young Africans and their teachers entered last year’s competition.
They worked in culturally diverse, virtual teams spread across the continent.
Each learned the ICT skills necessary to build websites covering issues in the
arts and literature, science and mathematics, social sciences, sports and
health. And in doing so they struck up new friendships outside their immediate
communities.
In September 2004, 150 of the top-achieving students from 11 African
countries gathered in Cairo, Egypt, alongside members of the Egyptian
government, UNDP, UNESCO, and key in-country NGOs to celebrate their
achievements.
The competition’s phenomenal success proves that when students have
access to computers and the Internet, they can successfully plan and develop
study programmes, undertake research and learn new skills including
leadership, timekeeping, management and marketing. Skills that will be crucial
in preparing them to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s competitive cyber
economy.
“Mntandao Afr ika i s an innovat ive
programme which encourages Afr ican
chi ldren and their teachers to develop
their IT sk i l l s and par t ic ipate fu l ly in
the g lobal onl ine environment .
We are del ighted to ce lebrate their
achievements and par t icular ly proud that
this year 40 per cent of entrants were
women. With suppor t f rom Microsof t
we hope to expand th is programme over
the next three years to l ink 10,000
Afr ican youths and their teachers in an
Internet adventure .”
Shaf ika Isaacs , Execut ive Director SchoolNet Afr ica
28
Morocco, like many other countries in the region, faces the
formidable long-term challenge of preparing its economy for
freer trade with the EU. With a literacy rate of just over 50 per
cent and an unemployment rate approaching 20 per cent, the
government is focusing on improving education, particularly in
vital skills such as computer literacy, in order to boost living
standards and job prospects for Morocco's youth.
In January 2004, Microsoft and the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) opened the first of 10
community technology learning centres as part of the
AjialCom initiative. Located in ‘Maisons de Jeunes’, or ‘youth
homes’, the programme provides dedicated venues, equipment,
teaching and training resources with Internet connectivity for
all members of the community.
The centres offer skills training and technical resources to students,
entrepreneurs, and adult men and women. In the longer term, the centres
will become self-sustaining micro-enterprises able to play an economic and
social role in their local environment.
The success of the project is due in part to the close working relationship
between the partners. Morocco’s Secretary of State for Youth provided the
physical space and furnishings and identified managers to run them.
The UNDP and its ICT programme for the African Region (ICTDAR) provided
teacher training and finance for the ICT equipment. And Microsoft North
Africa provided educational software, training for the managers and financing
for hardware and installation.
“[Our] aim is to promote digital
inclusion by providing technology
access and IT skills development to
empower under-served communities
and help in creating new job
opportunities. The programme offers
a very practical and modern solution
to bridging that gap.”
Najat Rochdi, ICTDAR Regional Coordinator
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II nnovat ion in EMEA
key research bodies across Europe. And we invest in pure and
applied research and development. Our R&D-related facilities
in the region support 1,000 staff — in Denmark, Germany,
Ireland and the UK — and cover the key stages of software
development, from the earliest concept to product implementation.
We also have a range of other partnerships with universities and
local governments across EMEA.
Some of these investments are yielding benefits today with
software breakthroughs in critical areas such as security and
reliability. Others will transform the way we use computers years
from now. But they all stem from our optimism about the future
of computing and our commitment to push the state of the art
forward.
At Microsoft we are inspired by technology’s unique ability to help people,
governments and businesses realise their potential. It’s what motivates us
to keep reaching for the possible in all areas of our business.
Across the EMEA region, we demonstrate our commitment to innovation
through collaborative programmes such as the European Science Initiative,
which aims to accelerate fundamental innovation in science and computing
through the pursuit of novel avenues of research by Microsoft and
“An open and col laborat ive approach ex is ts at the hear t of the research
we’re conduct ing with Microsof t Research.Developing th is laboratory in France wi l l fue l
the exchange of new ideas and suppor t the achievement of our shared goals
whi le adher ing to the leve ls of sc ient i f ic exce l lence INRIA is renowned for.”
Gi l les Kahn, Chairman and Managing Director, INRIA , The French Nat ional Inst i tute for Research
in Computer Sc ience and Control
30 31
Pan-RegionalNor way
UK
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33
Innovation in EMEA
In EMEA, 1,000 Microsoftemployees work in research anddevelopment.
The company operates numerous facilities in the region dedicated to technology innovation and software development:
Microsoft Research Centreswhose mandate is to develop new technologies through long-term “blue sky” research as well as applied, product-focused research – Germany, UK
Microsoft Development Centreswhere Microsoft products are developedand enhanced – Denmark, Ireland, Serbia
Microsoft Institutesresearch centres of excellence thatMicrosoft has established in collaboration with leading research andacademic bodies – France, Italy
Microsoft Innovation Centreswhere the company works with industrypartners and governments to shareexpertise and speed time to deployment,and time to market – Denmark, Egypt,Lebanon, Spain
Microsoft Technology Centreswhere enterprise customers can test theirapplications and obtain support andadvice from Microsoft engineers –France, Germany, UAE, UK
Pan-Regional – Students vie for the Imagine Cup
Drawing nearly 17,000 young contenders from more than 90 countries, the
Imagine Cup is a Microsoft-sponsored competition designed to demonstrate
the opportunities that technology makes possible. Microsoft provides
resources, exposure and technical support to students as they develop their
entries, which must incorporate Microsoft products.
Team OmniMusic took home the title of Imagine Cup 2005 World
Champions. The team of four Russian students demonstrated how their
technology unites musicians across geographical and cultural boundaries
by performing live onstage with one team member in a remote location.
OmniMusic enables musicians to join a community, meet musicians of
similar skills and interests, perform live in a distributed environment,
and broadcast the performance via IP multicasting. The team received a
standing ovation at the finals in Yokohama, Japan.
When asked about his experiences at the Imagine Cup, winning team
member Nikolay Surin said, “The most exciting, really inspired project that
dissolves boundaries between all cultures is the Imagine Cup itself.”
32
Norway – The magic of software
“I am practically 100 per cent paralysed, I cannot breathe, talk or eat – and
I am feeling fine.” So said Dr. Julius Moskvil when he met Bill Gates after
they both had been on stage during Microsoft’s IT Forum in Copenhagen,
November 2004.
A physician by profession, Dr. Moskvil was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s
disease in 1999. Within a matter of months he had to give up his practice
and became progressively more dependent on assistance. Today he enjoys
life with his family thanks to Rolltalk, assistive technology developed by
Norwegian independent software vendor IGEL.
Rolltalk runs on the Windows XP platform. It controls everything from doors
to the stereo, from an electronic page turner which helps him to read
to an electric toy car that he uses to play with his grandchildren. Most
importantly, Rolltalk enables Dr. Moskvil to communicate through a function
that translates text to speech. Microsoft invests considerable resources into
supporting partners like IGEL, which built Rolltalk on the Microsoft
Windows XP platform.
After meeting Dr. Moskvil, Bill Gates stated that, “Rolltalk is about as good
an illustration of the magic of software as I have ever seen.”
UK – Applying machine learning to games
Thore Graepal, a researcher at MSR Cambridge, works alongside video games
companies in the UK such as Rare and Bizarre, applying machine-learning
techniques to make games more interesting, and creating characters that are
“a bit more human.”
The research conducted by Thore and his colleagues translates into
technologies that may soon be used by millions of people worldwide.
“The new idea is to make computers that try things out and learn,” he said.
“For years, computers have been able to look far ahead and outperform
human players in games such as chess. But they have not been able to learn
from experience as we do. We are trying to create games with artificial
intelligence: games that make human-like mistakes.”
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People, Operations and Facilities
Microsoft beginnings in EMEA: Microsoft UK was established in 1982, the first office outside the US, followed by Microsoft France and Microsoft Germany in 1983. Subsidiaries: More than 60 offices and subsidiaries operate in 56 countries. Employees: More than 12,000 people work for the organisation, representing seven business groups. Regional coverage: Microsoft EMEA offers services and products in 139 countries and territories. Manufacturing, distribution and logistics: Supported by the European Operations Centre (EOC), manufacturing operationswere set up in Sandyford, County Dublin, Ireland, in 1986. Product localisation: Microsoft Office is available in 40 languages spoken in the EMEA region, and Microsoft Windows is available in 37 regional languages. At the European Product Development Centre (EPDC) in Dublin, Ireland, Microsoft developers and linguists specialise in 50 languages and dialects to create local-language products.
Connecting With Customers and Building Partnerships
Mission: Enabling people and organisations throughout EMEA to realise their full potential.Customer and partner ecosystem: Microsoft partners in EMEA include 200,000 resellers and 37,000 independent software vendors (ISVs). Among these are: - 13,000 Microsoft-certified partners, including service partners (e.g., systems integrators), ISVs, learning solution
partners, etc.; - 3,800 Microsoft Business Solutions partners; - 82,000 software developers registered with the Microsoft Developer Network, This ecosystem serves over 20 million small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers in EMEA. Public sector: Microsoft EMEA partners with local, national and regional governments and administrative bodies to help achieve public service objectives, ranging from e-government and e-democracy to digital communities. www.microsoft.com/emea/governmentEducation: Through the Partners in Learning programme, Microsoft EMEA collaborates with schools and universities to enable better integration of technology into the curriculum. To date, more than 400 Partners in Learning agreements have been signed with academic institutions in 63 countries in the region. www.microsoft.com/emea/educationNon-governmental organisations and charities: Through the Unlimited Potential (UP) programmes, Microsoft EMEA partners with organisations to improve lifelong learning for disadvantaged youth and adults through community-based technology and learning centres. Unlimited Potential supports 136 projects in EMEA with over 130 partners in 45 countries across the region. Over the next five years, Microsoft will commit up to US$ 1 billion to Unlimited Potentialpartnerships worldwide. www.microsoft.com/emea/citizenship
Participating in Business and Industry Dialogue
Mission: Responsible leadership through industry partnership and dialogue. Industry association membership and participation: Business Software Alliance (BSA), CompTIA, CSR Europe, the European Information, Communications and Consumer Electronics Technology Association (EICTA), eLIG, European Policy Centre (EPC), EU Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce, Initiative for Software Choice, International Communications Round Table (ICRT), and the World Economic Forum’s Global Digital Divide Initiative Taskforce (GDDI). For a complete list of the organisations in which Microsoft participates in the region, please consult: www.microsoft.com/emea/associations
Partners
Partners featured in RealisingPotential in Europe, the Middle East & Africa
Western europeRegional Government of Aragon,SpainTrás-os-Montes University, PortugalMetropolitan Police and theLondon Borough of Southwark, UK
Centra l and eastern europeFoundation Horizonti, the BulgarianUnion of the Blind, BulgariaPublic Employment Service,HungarySlovak Customs Directorate,Slovakia
Middle east Egyptian GovernmentUnited Nations DevelopmentFund for Women Jordanian Government Yemeni Government
Afr icaNamibian GovernmentUnited Nations DevelopmentProgrammeSchoolnet Africa
Photographers
Carmen ArisaAlain BeauvaisEvgeni DimitrovTom IngvardsenPaul MclaudMuhammed Salah
Photography
Western europeMain photo shows children at AriñoPrimary School in Spain. Photosshow (from left to right): childrenfrom Ariño Primary School in Spain;participant of Enable Ireland scheme; children studying at AriñoPrimary School, Spain; and beneficiaries of the University of Trás-os-Montes portal programme, Portugal.SpainPhotos show children at AriñoPrimary School and the surrounding rural area.PortugalPhoto shows Trás-os-Montes community members accessingICT services. UKPhoto shows participants of theMSN-supported Karrot InternetBus project.
Centra l and easterneuropeMain photo shows beneficiaries ofCherish Our ChildrenInternational/Deva Svelta programme in Belgrade, Serbia.Photos (from left to right) show:Participant of Fondation Horizontiin Bulgaria; participant at theInstitute of Public Administrationand European Integration,Bulgaria; a young beneficiary of a Cherish Our ChildrenInternational/Deva Svelta programme in Serbia.BulgariaPhotos show participants of a Foundation Horizonti programme.HungaryPhoto shows ICT access forjobseekers.SlovakiaPhoto shows ICT access for filingcustoms declarations.
Middle eastMain photo shows children who benefited from a Microsoft-supported ICT training programme.All other photos show children from the Middle East region whoparticipated in a variety ofMicrosoft-supported schemes.EgyptPhotos show citizens of Egypt.JordanPhoto shows Jordanian citizens atthe Regional School TechnologyInnovation Centre.YemenPhoto shows beneficiaries of aMicrosoft-supported ICT teachertraining programme.
Afr icaMain photo shows attendees atAfrican Pathfinder ceremony inNamibia. Photos (from left to right) show beneficiaries of ICTaccess programmes for Africanschool children.NamibiaPhoto shows Namibian children performing at the opening ceremony of African Pathfinder.MorrocoPhoto shows a young beneficiaryof the AjialCom initiative.Pan-AfricaPhoto shows the official openingof a Microsoft-supported ICT learning centre.
Innovat ion in EMEAPhotos feature the MicrosoftResearch Centre, UK, Microsoft Development Centre,Denmark, and Dr. Moskvil with Bill Gates in Norway.
This publication was produced by the Microsoft EMEA corporate communications team.
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facts & figures partners & photography
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