Ellison readies donation for Harvard

Ellison may reach an agreement with Harvard in the next few months or sooner, said an Oracle spokesman, noting that he was basing his comment on the amount of time that has passed since Ellison began discussing the gift.

"Larry wants to measure whether spending money on a program is being effective, and, if not, how to spend the money more wisely," said Bob Wynne, an Oracle spokesman.

A Harvard representative declined to comment on Ellison's gift, other than to acknowledge that talks are ongoing and no agreement has been signed.

Under the proposal, Ellison would fund a research center and five professorships. The information developed would be shared with other organizations that make financial contributions to health initiatives, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said Wynne, who noted the multimillion-dollar gift will not come from Oracle's budget.