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“If we are going to create a better world for ourselves, you will lead us there,” Bill Gates Snr. told Cambridge graduate students funded through the prestigious Gates Scholarship Programme on a recent visit.

During his three days in Cambridge, Mr Gates Snr., Chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, met with organisers of the Programme and learned first-hand of the work that current Gates scholars are doing.

At an evening reception held at the Fitzwilliam Museum he shared his thoughts with the scholars on the difference brilliant students from all backgrounds can make to worldwide human endeavour.

“Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� matters because it is more and more a testament to the idea that the world should be as big in our minds as it is on the map,” he said.

“ ̽��ֱ��key ingredient to making a peaceful world is the understanding that all people, no matter where they live, are equally precious.

“What I see is a community with so much idealism, so much commitment and so much energy. I am more than optimistic – I am certain, daunting as the obstacles may be, that as leaders of our global neighbourhood, you will find the way to make of it a brotherhood.”

Set up in 2000 with a $210 million benefaction by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship runs in perpetuity, enabling gifted graduate students from outside Great Britain to study at Cambridge.

There are currently 240 students studying at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge under the Programme, awarded on the basis of intellectual ability, leadership capacity and commitment to use their knowledge to contribute to the benefit of society throughout the world.

̽��ֱ��programme draws talented applicants from around the world and from a wide range of backgrounds. Over time, it is anticipated that Gates Cambridge Scholars will take a lead in addressing global problems related to health, equity, technology, and learning - all areas in which the Foundation itself is deeply engaged.

“It was a great pleasure to welcome Bill Gates Snr. to Cambridge once again, both to hear what he had to say to us and to show him the excellent work that Gates scholars are doing as a result of this generous benefaction,” said Dr Gordon Johnson, Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust.

“ ̽��ֱ��Gates Scholarship Programme ensures that some of the brightest and most lively young people in the world are able to carry out valuable research at Cambridge and as a result, apply their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others.”

To see Bill Gates Snr's speech in full, click on the link to the right of the page.