Gartner Inc., a technology research firm, will be awarded up to $3.9 million from the state's “deal-closer” Texas Enterprise Fund for the company's agreement to expand its operations in Irving, Gov. Greg Abbott's office announced Wednesday.

The Stamford, Conn.-based company is expected to invest more than $12 million in the area over the next several years, and it agreed to hire 800 new workers as part of its deal with the state.

“The city of Irving and the entire state of Texas continues to develop into booming technology hubs because of cutting-edge companies like Gartner,” Abbott said in a statement. “Not only are powerhouse companies like Gartner investing in Texas because of our business-friendly policies, but more importantly because of our rich and diverse talent pool.”

Irving's City Council agreed to pay the company, which employs more than 13,000 people around the world, up to $400,000 — $500 per job — in August, as long as the firm meets minimum hiring and investment requirements and stays in its location on Connection Drive for eight years.

Mayor Rick Stopfer highlighted Irving’s growth as a global tech hub, adding, “We are certain that Gartner will find our vibrant and dynamic city, quality-of-life amenities and sophisticated pool of employee talent a successful combination for their company.”

The move comes as business leaders around the continent anxiously await a decision by corporate behemoth Amazon about where it will locate its planned second headquarters.

Amazon publicly announced a broad set of criteria for its new second home and asked regions to put together proposals, which in turn shined a spotlight on the use of taxpayer-funded incentives to attract corporate investment.

Some observers have criticized the recent ratcheting up of the value of what they describe as corporate welfare, especially after Wisconsin offered $3 billion to get Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to invest $10 billion in the state creating some 13,000 jobs.

The Enterprise Fund narrowly escaped an effort to gut it during the most recent legislative session.

But business owners and officials say incentives are necessary for communities that want to nab the kind of high-paying, (for now) automation-proof jobs that corporate headquarters typically bring with them.

Gartner, for instance, must pay the workers it hires in Irving an average salary of $75,000 in order to receive the incentives.

Still, opponents have questioned whether paying companies cash grants — even if they are contingent on provisions requiring that they hire a certain number of employees — to invest in places they’re likely to go anyway is worthwhile.

In addition to Amazon's request for proposals, other major employers have said that the ability to attract young, educated employees is a top priority when they decide where to build offices — and it's one that often outweighs other considerations like incentives.

Gartner has a little more than 50 employees in Irving already, according to Erica Mulder, spokeswoman for the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce.

Beth Bowman, president and CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving Economic Development Partnership, wrote in an email that Irving was “competing with Fort Myers, Fla., where Gartner has a significant office presence,” for the expansion.

In a statement, Bowman underscored that Gartner was going with a “location with premier access to a skilled, innovative workforce,” and that North Texas has a large tech labor pool.

Gene Hall, Gartner’s CEO, thanked the governor and local economic development partners for the support and incentives.

“These efforts will help us invest in the local community and support the long-term growth of our workforce in Texas,” he said in a statement.