Groups unite to ensure openness of the web

Nesta and the WSRI will work together to suggest ways that government and businesses can ensure the web remains open for all

Two groups have combined forces to try and ensure that the web stays open, and remains a strong platform for collaboration and innovation.

The groups involved are Nesta, the National Endowment for Science and Technology, and WRSI, the Web Science Research Initiative. They plan to announce their joint intentions later today, at an event that boasts web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee among its participants.

In a statement the groups said that Berners-Lee would launch the partnership, and will call on governments, businesses and academia to work together to ensure the openness of the web. Berners-Lee is heavily involved with WRSI, which is a research collaboration between MIT and the University of Southampton.

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."

Nesta chief Jonathan Kestenbaum added, “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.”