Bill Gates praised one of Scotland's global health initiatives as a "really smart idea" after a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon yesterday.

The Microsoft founder met the First Minister at St Andrew's House yesterday to hear about the Scottish Global Health Collaborative, a cross-sector group which brings together the Scottish Government, Scotland's NHS, the third sector and other partners to co-ordinate their involvement in global health issues.

The collaborative, among other things, explores the benefits of international volunteering for NHS workers, who can then bring skills they learn back to Scotland.

Gates and Sturgeon watched a presentation on three different Scottish initiatives currently being undertaken in Zambia, Ethiopia and Malawi.

Gates said: “The Scottish Global Health Collaborative is a really smart idea. We know from the Ebola outbreak that a health crisis somewhere can soon become a health crisis everywhere. Expertise from countries like the UK was critical in containing that outbreak.

“And it was great to hear how the experience and ideas that Scottish health workers are bringing back from their work in Africa is being used to improve the health service here in Scotland.

“The contribution being made by participants in the programme will make a significant difference in the lives of the world’s poorest.”

Sturgeon said: “I was delighted to welcome Bill Gates to Scotland and to introduce him to some of the fantastic international development work being undertaken by our NHS Scotland staff. I am grateful to each and every one of our nurses, clinicians and even engineers, who often give up their own time to do this life changing work.

“The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have an incredible record of bringing about substantial change in the world’s poorest countries, empowering them to improve their life chances in a range of ways, from improving healthcare and combatting infectious diseases to increasing access to education. It is fantastic that they are interested in hearing about the work that Scotland is also doing.”

Earlier, the Microsoft billionaire praised Scottish innovation in an address at the University of Edinburgh, where he announced $40 million (£28m) of funding to fight the spread of livestock diseases in developing nations and in the UK.