On December 8, Bill Gates announced that Microsoft will spend US$ 850 million on research and development in India over the next four years. A few days earlier, Intel, whose Chairman is also visiting the region (including Sri Lanka), announced plans to spend US$ 1 billion in R&D in India. Things are indeed looking good for India's move into the knowledge economy. R&D or housemaids?
On December 8, Bill Gates announced that Microsoft will spend US$ 850 million on research and development in India over the next four years. A few days earlier, Intel, whose Chairman is also visiting the region (including Sri Lanka), announced plans to spend US$ 1 billion in R&D in India. Things are indeed looking good for India's move into the knowledge economy. Gates had been asked what it would take to set up a R&D center in Sri Lanka. His response had been that a high-quality university like an IIT was a precondition for Sri Lanka to be considered.
One can assume that the world’s richest man and the most successful university dropout in history is well informed of the quality of Sri Lanka universities. The Times Higher Education Supplement’s 2005 top 200 universities ranking (