Microsoft Announces European Grants Worth 5 Million Euro to Fuel Jobs and Growth in Economic Downturn

EU recognizes Microsoft's partner organizations for helping people find and retain jobs.

BRUSSELS, Belgium and VIENNA, Austria, December 2, 2008 — Microsoft Corp has announced it will invest an additional 5 million euro in cash and software in non-governmental organizations (NGO) that run community skills training projects in 30 countries across Europe. This investment is part of Microsoft's long-term commitment to foster skills and drive growth through creating employability opportunities for young unemployed, seniors, and people with disabilities. The company is committed to increasing its investments with projects and partners in the areas of education, employability, digital literacy and building the capacity of NGOs, despite the current economic climate.

"A skilled IT workforce is essential to creating new jobs and fuelling economic growth in Europe, yet almost 300 million Europeans have no e-skills today. We hope to bridge this gap by investing into community-based projects to further advance e-inclusion in Europe," said Jan Muehlfeit, Microsoft's Europe Chairman.

Through its Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills Program Microsoft has responded to the e-inclusion and e-skills deficit identified by the European Commission. Microsoft has developed an inclusive approach, partnering with NGOs, industry and other stakeholders. Over the next three years, it will reach 4.7 million people in over 3,000 Community Technology Centers across Europe. Microsoft is also supporting the launch of Telecentre-Europe.org at the e-Inclusion Ministerial Conference in Vienna. The network of telecentres is dedicated to strengthening digital inclusion actions through knowledge exchange and advocacy.

Nine community-based projects supported by Microsoft were shortlisted in six award categories for this year's EU ministerial e-Inclusion conference awards. Milton Keynes Council from the UK, and Window to the Future from Lithuania, received the awards in the Cultural Diversity and the Digital Literacy categories respectively.

"We are enormously proud of the partner organizations that won these awards. It is an excellent recognition of their hard work and dedication to e-inclusion," Muehlfeit said. "For Microsoft every single project is a winner, as each one demonstrates that projects focused on helping people find and retain jobs in Europe is vital to the economy."

The announcement also represents Microsoft's support for Europe's vision of an inclusive information society for Europe 2020. The people in training today will be the workforce of tomorrow's Europe, and in the current economic climate, specific focus needs to be paid to training today's workers for tomorrow's jobs. This ongoing vision is part of Microsoft's drive to be a strong European partner and help grow the European economy.

Last year, Microsoft invested almost 50 million euro into various e-inclusion projects. This investment is helping community organizations and NGOs through in kind and money donations and creating a one-stop portal for non-profit organizations, NGO Connection. Also through Microsoft Unlimited Potential initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe which aim at transforming education, enabling jobs and fostering local innovation. Microsoft also supports educational initiatives such as providing grants, training and curriculum to enhance teaching and learning across the region. Moreover, Microsoft works closely with more than 40 assistive technology vendors in Europe so that the best products and services are delivered to people with disabilities, and has provided seed funding to create and launch the Accessibility Interoperability Alliance.