The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plans to open an office in Singapore as it seeks to deepen collaborations with governments, philanthropies and health research institutions across Southeast Asia.

“The Gates Foundation is putting up an office here to access the science [and] to partner with the philanthropic community,” Bill Gates, the billionaire cofounder of Microsoft, said Monday at the Philanthropy Asia Summit in Singapore.

Gates also met with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. “We had a wide-ranging conversation on challenges ahead, from clean energy to vaccine development,” Wong said on Facebook. “Singapore looks forward to working closely with the Gates Foundation to advance innovation and improve lives here in Asia and around the world.”

Supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board, the establishment of the office in the city state will help accelerate the progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals, the foundation said in a statement. “Singapore’s strategic location and research ecosystem makes it a strong platform for advancing healthcare, fintech and AI innovations that can deliver impact across the region and the world,” Jermaine Loy, managing director of EDB, said in the statement.

Founded in 2000 by Gates and his then wife Melinda French Gates, the foundation aims to improve global health, access to education and inclusive economic growth.

“As the Gates Foundation marks 25 years, we’re excited to strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia through Singapore,” Hari Menon, director for South and Southeast Asia at the Gates Foundation, said in the statement. “Singapore’s leadership in innovation and philanthropy makes it an ideal hub to help scale solutions that improve lives across the region and beyond.”