Nokia has announced the expansion of its global research activities with the opening of a facility located in Silicon Valley. The company also announced a three-year agreement with Stanford University, to develop joint research projects on collaborative mobile computing and applications.

As part of the agreement with the Stanford University, there will be a focus on joint research activities that incorporate new project-oriented courses on mobile computing and services. Given their close proximity, researchers from Nokia and Stanford will work together using the Stanford campus community as an experimental testing ground for new technologies and services developed by Nokia Research Center.

Nokia Research Center Palo Alto will initially focus on four core areas, including context-aware content and communities, wWireless grids, advanced user interfaces and visual media, and innovation radio and sensor networks.

From the start the centre will employ around 35 researchers and plans to expand to upwards of 100 researchers as new projects are established. Projects will be managed under the direction of the Head of Nokia Research Center Palo Alto, Dr. John P. Shen.

Nokia now has major research facilities located in two of the leading U.S. educational and technology markets, the Silicon Valley and Cambridge, MA.