The Collaboratory Project: Collaboration and Outreach

Abstract

Today there is great national concern about connecting schools to the Internet and providing equal opportunities for access to information and experience with technology. Colleges and universities that have already solved many of the problems institutions face can play an important role helping to define the future networked environment by insisting on interoperability and open standards. This paper describes the Collaboratory Project at Northwestern University, an initiative funded by a four-year, $1.8 million grant by the Ameritech Foundation. The initiative is establishing a network-based collaborative environment that involves education, research, cultural, nonprofit, business, and industry communities in the greater Chicago area.