BERLIN — US-based Acxiom, an IT services company, announced plans to open an IT center in Gdansk, Poland that could employ up to 500 IT specialists, according to PAIZ, the Polish state investment promotion agency.

The Gdansk operation is expected to open in July and initially employ 100, which could rise to 500 in the next few years. In Poland, Acxiom also runs a 100-person operation in Warsaw.

The company's decision to invest in Gdansk was swayed by a high-tech scholarship program for students used in the city's academic institutions, according to PAIZ.

Gdańsk has developed a scholarship program for higher education students that includes training tailored to the needs of future employers in high technology sectors.

Acxiom is the fourth firm to take advantage of the program, following India's Zensar Technologies, Belfast-based Kainos and Lufthansa Systems Poland, according to local reports.

The neighboring cities of Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia are trying to create an ICT cluster in northern Poland. Known as ICT Pomerania, the cluster project hosts 100-some ICT companies together with R&D, academic institutions and a business incubator.