VNExpress/StraitsTimes/CNA-May 6
Tech billionaire Bill Gates has said his non-profit organization, the Gates Foundation, will be setting up an office in Singapore. The new office will be set up to “access the science to partner with the philanthropic community” and tap into “the research being done” in the city-state, Gates said at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025 held in Singapore on Monday. “I would say that Asian innovation is a part of why I am so excited about the progress we can make in health. Initially, when we thought of Asian innovation, we mostly thought about low cost – which is a great thing,” he said during a dialogue with the city-state’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the event, as quoted by The Straits Times. “I mean, the lowest-cost vaccines in the world are made in India, Indonesia – this region. But more and more, the innovation is about cutting-edge work.” The philanthropic foundation, started in 2000 by Gates and his now ex-wife Melinda French Gates, focuses on tackling global challenges like poverty, disease, and inequality. Its Singapore presence will be established with support from the Economic Development Board. The board said the move reflects the foundation’s broader commitment to working with countries and partners to help more people live healthy and productive lives and accelerate progress toward achieving sustainable development goals, CNA reported, citing a media release issued the same day. Gates also separately met with Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday. Lee wrote in a Facebook post that they discussed a range of issues, including efforts to eliminate polio and measles and advancements in nuclear power technology. They also discussed how Gates’ foundation can deepen its collaboration with Singapore entities such as Temasek Trust and local universities. “We welcome the Gates Foundation and others to continue to bring their businesses and interests here to Singapore and invest in our ecosystem and deepen our ties with the region,” Lee said. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/tech/enterprises/tech-billionaire-bill-gates-philanthropic-foundation-to-set-up-office-in-singapore-4882320.html
