GE Opens Technology Center in Germany

GARCHING, Germany, June 28 -- General Electric opened a European Global Research Center today in Garching, near Munich, Germany. The 10,000 square-meter facility, on the campus of the Technical University of Munich, is the latest addition to GE's $4 billion worldwide technology development effort.

GE said the new research center will by 2005 involve 150 scientists and engineers focusing on four main areas: alternative energy generation technologies, particularly hydrogen, biomass and fuel cells; electrical systems for renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and water; specialized sensors for automotive, biological and harsh environment applications; and advanced medical imaging technologies, such as ultrasound, high-field magnetic resonance imaging and molecular imaging.

The European center is GE's fourth Global Research facility, in addition to its Global Research headquarters in Niskayuna, N.Y.; the John F. Welch Technology Center in Bangalore, India; and the China Technology Center in Shanghai, China. Since 2001, GE has invested $100 million in the Niskayuna headquarters, opened a $64 million research facility in Shanghai, China, and made an initial $52 million investment in the new European center.

"With the technology we are developing, we have the opportunity literally to reshape the way the world works," said Scott Donnelly, senior vice president of Global Research. "We can create a new paradigm for the way the world generates and uses energy. We can help transform healthcare from the 'see and treat' approach of today to the 'predict and prevent' model of the future. The European Center is key to this effort, because it increases our research capacity, gives us access to a new pool of technical talent and brings technology development closer to some of our key customers in these industries."

For more information, visit: www.ge.com