New center will focus on developing software for recognizing handwriting on portable computers Microsoft has opened a new center in Belgrade to focus on developing software for recognizing handwriting on portable computers.Engineers at the new development center will expand language and handwriting-recognition technology used by Microsoft’s Tablet PCs, the company said earlier this week in a statement. They will also conduct research on how to apply modern machine-learning techniques to the recognition of digital ink 2D structures, it said.The Belgrade center joins two other European development centers, in Denmark and Ireland. Over the years, Microsoft has established a network of R&D (research and development) facilities across Europe, extending into the Middle East, according to the company’s Web site.In addition to its development centers, the U.S. software company operates research centers in Germany and the U.K., innovation centers in Denmark, Egypt, Lebanon, and Spain, and technology centers in France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and the U.K.The company also has two Microsoft Institutes, or research centers of excellence, in France and Italy. In the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, Microsoft currently employs around 1,000 people in research and development.The company invests approximately 16 percent of its annual revenue into innovation-related activities, amounting to more than $6 billion worldwide during the 2005 fiscal year. A break-out of the European R&D budget was not immediately available. Technology IndustrySoftware DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business