The project, christened GE India Technology Centre, is expected to be complete by September 2000.

It is a strategic investment by GE to provide critical technology and research and development to GE's global business. It will also work closely with GE's corporate R&D centre in the US and all 10 GE businesses.

For the centre, GE plans to recruit 500 research scientists from the fields of chemical engineering, material and polymer science, chemistry, informational technology (IT), mechanical engineering and power electronics by December 2000.

President and CEO of GE India, Scott Bayman, said in a statement, "India's potential to become a global research and development platform is acknowledged worldwide. Our focus at GE is to help broadbase this talent in IT to multi-disciplinary research, engineering and technology expertise."

According to Jean Heuschen, who will head the technology centre, "GE's goal is to help attract and retain the best talent from India and around the world by providing globally competitive and exciting multi-disciplinary engineering and technology research career opportunities locally.

"GE will continue to build on the successes of our collaborative research projects with major national research institutions in India where we have enjoyed great partnerships in joint technology development", he said. GE is a diversified services, technology and manufacturing company with global revenues in excess of $100 billion.