R&D boost

The number of employees in Samsung's Warsaw-based R&D center is likely to increase from the current 150 to 600 within the next two years. Only a week ago, a new digital television department was launched, aimed at devising software used in TV sets to receive terrestrial digital TV programming.

"Samsung R&D will invest about $15 million [zł. 47.4 million] this year. I guess it will be increased significantly in the near future. We might employ about 50 to 200 people in the area of set-top boxes and digital television," said Yong Gu Kim, managing director of the Samsung R&D center. By the end of December 2007 the number of new staff could even reach 600.

When in 2000 the Korean electronics producer chose Poland to be its most important R&D location in Europe, it based its decision on easy access to educated and competent staff. Samsung trains the newly-employed personnel for about six months, but despite this the company is now struggling to find appropriate candidates for their center. Samsung is also planning to expand its MP3 and home cinema departments and might apply for state subsidies for the creation of new jobs.

"We will apply for them, if there is a chance. Now we are gathering information. However, we still don't have exact information concerning Warsaw," Yong Gu Kim added.

Samsung runs similar centers in the US, Russia, Israel and India. The company invests on average seven to eight percent of its annual revenues in R&D. In 2005 the company recorded revenues of $58.1 (zł.183,8) billion.