Infosys Technologies Ltd. has signed a pact with an Australian research and development center to undertake software development in the country.

Infosys said in a statement it will invest A$801,500 (US$613,000) into developing solutions for the banking, commerce, health and entertainment industries along with Australia"s Smart Internet Technology Cooperative Research Centre.

Smart Internet will also work directly with Infosys employees at its Bangalore center for research in mobility, pervasive computing, agent technologies, security and digital rights management.

"The collaboration is expected to provide commercial benefits to the commonwealth and state governments in the form of new employment and revenue opportunities," the statement said.

Smart Internet chief Darrell Williamson said it is the first significant commitment by an Indian IT company to undertake research and development with an Australian research organization.

Infosys Australia, a fully-owned subsidiary of Infosys Technologies, has 650 employees who work for many leading corporations in Australia including Telstra.