Cisco Systems is betting on India's engineering talent to make its subsidiary here a hub for expanding its business worldwide.

"It is not low-cost or labour arbitrage but India's best and brightest engineering talent pool that made us locate our largest research and development (R&D) facility outside the US here (Bangalore) and groom a quarter of our next-generation leaders from the sub-continent," said Cisco chairman and chief executive officer John Chambers.

Chambers said that besides talent, converging technologies, a rapidly-growing economy and a huge market for networking products and services have made the global firm invest in human capital in India.

"Our decision to invest an additional $100 million in Indian start-ups and smart firms as venture capital is aimed at stimulating local entrepreneurship and facilitate innovation to make India a global hub for next-generation products and solutions in the networking arena," Chambers said.

"The India centre will be at the heart of our globalisation vision and a platform to tap the potential in the emerging markets, with disruptive technologies such as Web 2.0, IP (Internet Protocol) phone and Tele-Presence, which connects people in different locations to see and talk to each other in a virtual environment," Chambers pointed out.

Cisco's chief globalisation head Wim Elfrink said the India centre would also develop products and services required for its customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We have created a collaborative work environment at this India centre to attract and retain top talent. Collaborative technologies such as Tele-Presence will help us to scale our support services across the emerging markets, keeping in view the changing business models of our customers and partners," Elfrink noted.

IANS