Google has announced it is setting up a base at East London's 'Silicon Roundabout' to help British web entrepreneurs.
The technology company has signed a lease on a large building in the Old Street area - said to be the UK's answer to Google's spiritual home in Silicon Valley, California.
Google says it will turn the premises, located in the area billed as Tech City, into a "launchpad for new London-based start-ups and developers".
It plans to host 'hackathons', where boffins meet to race against the clock on joint programming projects, and Google employees will be on hand to run training workshops and product demonstrations for fledgling technology companies.
The space will also be open to other organisations that support digital entrepreneurs.
"We announced our involvement in the Tech City project last year, and we've been working hard to make this vision a reality," said David Singleton, engineering director at Google UK.
"East London is already home to hundreds of innovative British start-ups and has huge potential for economic growth and new jobs over the coming years."
Google's new base at 4-5 Bonhill Street will not replace its existing UK headquarters, which are in Victoria, central London.
Silicon Roundabout's investment team said it was "delighted" to welcome the US company to the area.
"Google is a terrific example of a major technology business that understands the importance of nurturing as well as benefiting from the communities where they operate," said Eric Van Der Kleij, chief executive of the Tech City Investment Organisation.
"This investment will pay dividends for them as well as contributing to the long-term success of the Tech City."
The Government has made investment in technology start-up firms a central part of its growth strategy, as it tries desperately to boost Britain's economic recovery.
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