Greece signs strategic agreement with Microsoft

The Greek government and IT giant Microsoft on Wednesday signed a strategic agreement offering preferential financial terms for the purchase of software licenses by the Greek state, free software use rights for Greek civil servants (including home use) and training by Microsoft on the use of new technologies.



The agreement was signed in Lisbon by Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis on behalf of the Greek state. It is part of a government plan to promote a new digital strategy in the period 2006-2013 and to forging closer cooperation between the public sector and private enterprises in the IT sector. Under the agreement, Microsoft will set up an innovation centre in Greece with the aim to support the local academic community as well as Greek software companies in developing cutting-edge technologies and to improve their international competitiveness.



Microsoft will also set up at least 10 computer labs for the vocational training of unemployed people, seniors as well as offering scholarships or free software to Greek universities. The agreement also envisages the introduction of pilot electronic governance programme and support of small- and medium-sized enterprises.



The Greek minister urged Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates to hold a future government officials' conference on information society in Athens, while stressing that the agreement offers significant opportunities to a new generation of Greek students, researchers and businesspeople.



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Microsoft promises Greece IT boost

The government agreed with Microsoft's chairman Bill Gates yesterday to set up a research and development center in Athens aimed at helping Greece shed its image as one of the European Union's information technology laggards.

Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis and Gates decided during a two-day Internet technology forum in Portugal to establish a Greek Microsoft Innovation Center.

The center will coordinate initiatives from the university community and software developers in order to implement test programs using the most recent technologies. It will be part of a worldwide Microsoft network and will help the government improve its electronic services.

Greece is among the EU countries which invest the least in innovations and in developing new technologies.

«By developing synergies with the state, education institutions and Greek software companies, Microsoft is committed to contribute to Greece's efforts to build a dynamic economy of knowledge,» said Gates, the world's richest man.

Alogoskoufis came out from the meeting with another bonus as Microsoft also agreed to sell software programs to the public sector at a discount of 20 percent.

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, also said it will provide some of the country's tertiary institutions with free software and will also offer scholarship programs for doctoral students working on new technologies.



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Microsoft to provide technology know-how to Greek IT companies


ANA
Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis (l) shakes hands with Bill Gates after signing a technology cooperation agreement.

The technology agreement signed between the Greek government and Microsoft in Lisbon yesterday calls for the creation of an Innovation Center in Greece that will support academic research and the efforts of private software companies to provide competitive products. Microsoft will also provide public sector agencies with applications at a 20 percent discount.

The agreement is one of several signed between Microsoft and European governments in Lisbon and during the previous two Government Leaders Forums organized by Microsoft in Europe. It is part of Microsoft’s ambitious scheme to help governments around the world with integrating their services.

“Governments around the world tell us that to interoperate effectively they need a more structured approach to building information technology systems,” said Microsoft co-founder, main shareholder and chairman Bill Gates who, since relinquishing the job of company CEO, has taken that of Chief Software Architect. “Deploying an eGovernment Strategy will help governments improve productivity and service delivery through seamless interoperability — as well as dramatically help cut costs,” he added.

Productivity losses by governments are estimated at 400 billion euros across all 25 European Union member-states. In the US, the losses are estimated at $843 billion (about 700 billion euros).

In Greece, the innovation center will help academic researchers, software development firms and new IT companies with development of new products. State agencies will be assisted in providing e-government services to citizens. The agreement has a duration of four years. During that time, the state has the right to obtain all new Microsoft software versions at a discount. Civil servants will be able to use the software, free of charge, at home and can be trained in its use.

“Our goal is to maximize the benefits for the state sector from its cooperation with Microsoft and other private companies. (The agreement) is a first step toward implementing the government’s digital strategy to take advantage of information and communications technologies throughout our economy and society. The goal of the Digital Strategy 2006-2013 is to provide digital services to enterprises, restructure the public sector and provide digital services to citizens. The agreement we signed today has several favorable clauses and provides for actions that will help a more efficient diffusion of technology in Greece,” said Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis.


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