Microsoft Launches Virtual Think Tank

The Technology–Academics–Policy (TAP) Web site – www.techpolicy.com – is dedicated to spurring public debate on key technology, innovation and public policy matters.  The site features original research from pre-eminent experts and scholars addressing  a variety of U.S. public policy issues.  TAP is not only a clearinghouse of ideas and research, but also a place for the media and policy makers to find experts on a broad swath of issues. TAP’s areas of focus includes topics hotly debated on Capitol Hill, such as technology’s impact on economic growth, as well as emotionally-charged issues such as privacy and security in a Web 2.0 world.

TAP features the work of more than 80 scholars from some of the country’s leading academic institutions, including the University of California at Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, George Washington University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University.

TAP

As it launches, the TAP Web site contains:

  • 360 one-page summaries of key academic works, including a brief synopsis of each article’s policy relevance.
  • Biographies and research from more than 80 featured academics.
  • A media page with quotes from featured academics  in the news, as well as  press releases from affiliated institutions.
  • An academic events calendar, you can search by topic.

To promote sharing of ideas and research, the site includes a blog that will feature guest bloggers, highlight new research and promote notable academic events.