Microsoft plans joint research center with French gov't
Microsoft plans to open a research center in France in conjunction with a French government research organization. An announcement could be made as early as Tuesday afternoon during a visit to Paris by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. The company announced plans in February to develop a network of research centers in partnership with public institutions across Europe. The first center, at the University of Trento in Italy, will focus on computational tools for biological research. The company is discussing the creation of further centers with research organizations in France, Germany and the U.K., it said at the time.
Those discussions appear to be reaching fruition in France, where the company is planning the creation of a joint research center with INRIA, the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control, according to sources at the company and at the institute.
"We can confirm that INRIA and Microsoft are discussing the creation of a joint research laboratory," a Microsoft spokeswoman said Thursday.
