As the search giants gear up research efforts to take search to the next level, Yahoo is recruiting the pioneers of an advanced search-engine technology, called Clever, developed at IBM's Silicon Valley research laboratory beginning in the mid-1990s, reports the New York Times. Clever used a series of algorithms to improve search-results quality.

Prabhakar Raghavan once led the Clever effort and joined Yahoo last week as head of research. Another search-technology researcher, Andrew Tomkins, was recently hired away from IBM, and negotiations are in progress with several others there.

Yahoo offers one of the best opportunities to explore new ideas in search, and one new area of pursuit would be digital media, Raghavan said.

There is urgency among search engine firms in acquiring research talent that will provide an edge in developing a new generation of search technology, writes the Times.

The defection of Kai-Fu Lee from Microsoft to Google last week has sparked a legal row , coming on the heels of Microsoft's announcement that it is serious about search; meanwhile, Yahoo's recruiting is part of the rush to improve search.

Yahoo has been hiring other high-profile researchers, including Larry Tesler of Apple and a pioneer of user-interface design.