Brussels - The European Commission has endorsed Germany's proposed $165 million investment into developing a pan-European multimedia search engine, to challenge established leaders like Google and Yahoo.

The German project, called Theseus, will initially provide funds to firms including Siemens, SAP, Deutsche Thomson and Bertelsmann's EMPOLIS, to develop a search engine that will index as well as translate audio, video, images and text, and aims to provide "structured online access to cultural information for the general public, for example to digital libraries and other cultural facilities," the European Commission said.

Germany's Theseus project originated in April 2005, when Germany and France agreed to collaborate on a European search engine.

France is currently maintaining its own project, Quaero, led by Thomson, and is negotiating with the Commission on providing $112 million for further development.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2surw3 (EU announcement)

http://tinyurl.com/3bsd3x (AP)