Web Science Research Initiative
The Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) is a joint endeavour between the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT and the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton. WSRI aims to to facilitate and produce the fundamental scientific advances necessary to inform the future design and use of the World Wide Web.
A high-profile group of leading thinkers and practitioners in the area, led by Tim Berners-Lee, has come together to form the WSRI. Momentum is building for a more ambitious, strategic programme of activity to work with corporates, governments and academia to understand the future direction, design and potential of the web as an enabler of innovation.
Its purpose is to:
- Understand the scientific, technical and social factors that drive the growth of the Web
- Provide a global forum for academia, government and industry to collaborate on the first multidisciplinary scientific research effort specifically designed to study the development of the Web
- Devise curricula for the new discipline of Web Science so as to train future generations of researchers
