Gates's £1m for Scots scientists

SCOTTISH researchers have been given more than £1 million by billionaire computer tycoon Bill Gates to help tackle the world's biggest childhood killer, it was announced yesterday.

The University of Edinburgh team have secured the funding from the world's richest man in efforts to curb childhood pneumonia, which kills two million under-fives each year.

Deaths from childhood pneumonia occur mainly in youngsters from poor backgrounds with limited access to healthcare. In total, the funding, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will see £1.36 million spent on tackling the disease.

It will allow mathematicians to work with doctors to predict how effective prevention measures and treatments might be.

Professor Harry Campbell said: "Childhood pneumonia affects millions of poor and under-privileged families around the world every year. But solving a problem like this takes hard work and hard choices.

"We need to know which strategies work best and where investment will make the greatest difference."

Former Microsoft chief Gates set up the foundation with his wife Melinda in 2000. Its broad, philanthropic aims include improving health in developing countries to help lift people out of poverty.