The research center will serve as Ask Jeeves' European hub for search technology research and development, working directly with the company's U.S.-based research centers.

Ask Jeeves, Inc., a provider of information retrieval technologies, brands and Internet advertising services, today formally announced the opening of its research center in Pisa, Italy.

The research center will serve as Ask Jeeves' European hub for search technology research and development, working directly with the company's U.S.-based research centers in Campbell, Calif. and Piscataway, N.J. Lead by Antonio Gulli, an expert in search engine technology and the creator of Italy's first search engine, Arianna, the Ask Jeeves European research center will support all of Ask Jeeves search sites, including the flagship Ask.com.
  
"Ask Jeeves' research and development team is continually striving to develop the most innovative and useful technologies for our users," said Apostolos Gerasoulis, Executive VP of search technology at Ask Jeeves. "The creation of a research center in Italy will allow us to access the broadest pool of talented professionals across Europe, while helping the company to further advance its world-class technology for users worldwide."