Microsoft looks to European research partnerships for competitive edge
'As we've seen before, by working at the cutting edges of computer science now, we will gain an insight into what computing requirements will be in ten years time, which will lead to many spin offs.' This was one of the reasons given by Stephen Emmott, director of Microsoft Research's external research office in Cambridge, UK, for the software giant's desire to build 'open innovation partnerships' with leading research facilities in Europe. Speaking to CORDIS News during the Microsoft European research and innovation day (MERID) in Brussels on 6 December, Professor Emmott did, however, point to another, more altruistic motivation for investing in research cooperation in the EU. 'The company wants to make a difference in science, and its increasingly clear that big breakthroughs in all areas are going to be underpinned by advances in computing, such as we saw with the human genome project. As the world's biggest software company, we have a role to play there,' he said. So while its efforts may ultimately lead to real world applications, Microsoft is forming partnerships with universities, public authorities and other companies to address some of the basic scientific challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, sustainable energy and major diseases. 'We currently lack the powerful and robust computational tools needed to understand these challenges fully,' says Professor Emmott. The most recent example of Microsoft's new approach to research partnerships in Europe was unveiled on 7 December, with the official opening of the Microsoft Research-University of Trento Centre for Computational Biology. The facility will carry out basic technological research at the interface of computer science, biotechnology and medicine. 'Given that these are new areas for Microsoft and we don't have internal teams of geneticists or biologists, new models of R&D are needed, so we are building links with the European scientific community to address the big questions in science,' Professor Emmott explains. Currently Microsoft has more than 170 partnerships with universities across Europe, and with such networks of international collaboration in place, Professor Emmott says that his group is looking at ways of working with the European Commission. 'Our group [in Cambridge] hasn't been involved in FP6 [the Sixth Framework Programme], but we are looking with interest at FP7 and are especially keen to see how we might be able to work with the European Research Council. We are looking to engage with EU research in a way that makes sense - it's early days, but we are very keen.' As a company, Microsoft is already actively involved in the EU's framework programmes, with its applied research centre in Aachen, Germany, currently participating in 13 different projects. As well as presenting some of the innovative products developed by Microsoft Research in Europe, the MERID event was also billed as an opportunity to discuss how to make Europe more innovative. Jean Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, believes that what is needed is a stronger, faster pace of innovation in Europe. 'We ask other companies to invest in research and innovation too. The potential benefits are considerable if all sides are willing to commit to creating a knowledge-based society in Europe.' However, Mr Courtois added that for companies to invest in economic growth, competitiveness and jobs requires an incentive system based on intellectual property rights. 'EU-wide intellectual property rights are critical for the competitiveness of Europe. The EU needs to keep pushing in that direction,' he said. He also called on governments to focus on education and vocational training in order to keep up the supply of qualified computer scientists and engineers. Indeed, UN special envoy and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt identified education as the most significant factor behind the difference in competitiveness between the EU and US. He told the audience: 'The US has most of the world's top universities, and spending per student is two to three times higher than in the EU. [...] We have a better level of basic education here, but by losing out to the US in higher education it means that they can attract all the best talent, and it's mainly down to money.' Mr Bildt believes that Europe's potential to increase its global competitiveness through structural and economic reform is often underestimated. The US forged ahead during the 1990s while the EU was preoccupied with important processes such as the reunification of Germany, monetary union and enlargement, but by harnessing the growth potential of the newer EU countries, pressing ahead with basic economic reforms and investing more resources, Europe has the potential to narrow that gap once more, Mr Bildt argues. 'All of these things are eminently achievable,' he concluded.