Innovation Partnership to Keep the Web Collaborative

07/07/2008

The National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has announced a partnership with the Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) which will see the two organisations work together to safeguard the Web as a platform for collaboration and innovation.

WSRI, led by academics including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the World Wide Web, is a long-term research collaboration between MIT and the University of Southampton which promotes the development of the Web.  Sir Tim will speak at a NESTA event tomorrow, 8th July, to mark the launch of the partnership at which he will call on governments, business and academia to work together to ensure that the Web remains an open platform for information exchange and collaboration.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee said: “The development of the Web will have major social, economic and political implications for our future. At its core must be a commitment to maintain the principles of openness as a platform for the sharing of information”.

Commenting on the partnership, NESTA CEO Jonathan Kestenbaum said, “NESTA is delighted to be working with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, arguably the greatest innovator of the last 150 years. We know that innovation happens when different disciplines interact. This partnership will ensure that the UK is well positioned to capitalise on the new networked information economy enabled by the web”.

The launch event will take place on Tuesday 8th July at 4.30pm at NESTA’s offices in Holborn. It will include a panel discussion between Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Andy Duncan, Chief Executive of Channel 4 and Charlie Leadbeater, author of ‘We Think: The Power of Mass Creativity’ and a NESTA Senior Fellow, and will be chaired by NESTA’s Chief Executive, Jonathan Kestenbaum. There will be limited seats available for members of the press. If you would like to attend, please contact Catherine Anderson.

Catherine Anderson, Communications Assistant
Tel: 0207 438 2609
Email: Catherine.Anderson@nesta.org.uk

About NESTA

NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts - a unique and independent body with a mission to make the UK more innovative. It invests in early-stage companies, informs and shapes policy, and delivers practical programmes that inspire others to solve the big challenges of the future.
www.nesta.org.uk   


About WSRI

The Web Science Research Initiative was launched in November 2006 as a long-term partnership between the University of Southampton and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It brings together academics, scientists, sociologists, entrepreneurs and decision-makers from around the world to create the first multidisciplinary research body to examine the World Wide Web and offer practical solutions to help guide its future use and design. WSRI is lead by co-directors Tim Berners-Lee (MIT/Southampton), Wendy Hall (Southampton), Nigel Shadbolt (Southampton) and Daniel Weitzner (MIT|).

For more information, visit www.nesta.org.uk/web-science-research-initiative/