NET Institute

NET Institute Networks, Electronic Commerce, and Telecommunications

Last Updated: 3/27/2025

The Networks, Electronic Commerce and Telecommunications ("NET") Institute is a non-profit institution devoted to research on network industries, platforms, multi-sided markets, electronic commerce, telecommunications, credit and debit cards networks, the Internet, "virtual networks" comprised of computers that share the same technical standard or operating system, and on network issues in general. Of particular interest is research on innovation and introduction of new technology in network and platforms industries, including AI. The NET Institute functions as a world-wide focal point for research and open exchange and dissemination of ideas in these areas. The NET Institute competitively funds cutting edge research projects in these areas of research. It organizes conferences and seminars on these issues.

The following distinguished academics sit on the NET Institute’s board of directors:

1. Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President & Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

2. Professor Nicholas Economides mailto:submissions@NETinst.org, Stern School of Business, New York University (Executive Director)

3. David A. Heiner, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft Corporation

4. Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, CEO, Intellectual Ventures

5. Professor Ariel Pakes, Economics Department, Harvard University

The NET Institute gratefully acknowledges the various institutions that have supported us during the course of our history, including Microsoft, Google, the Kauffman Foundation, and the AT&T Foundation. The decisions on grants by the NET Institute are independent of funding from donors, and this is well understood by donors. No donor has ever tried to influence any grant decision.

In the summers of 2003 to 2024 the NET Institute has funded a number of research proposals in the areas of network industries, including wired and wireless networks, “virtual networks,” platforms, electronic commerce, telecommunications, and the Internet. We had an overwhelming response to our calls for proposals. During the last sixteen years we have funded over four hundred and fifty projects, giving preference to those by relatively young researchers. The resulting papers and other papers on network industries are in the working papers series of the NET Institute at NET Institute Working Papers. The published papers from these working papers are at Publications from NET Institute grants.

The competitive process for submission of proposals in 2025 is described at the call for proposals for summer research in 2025.

NEWS ALERTS:

· NET Institute Working Papers

· Publications from NET Institute grants

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, November 15, 2019 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, December 7, 2018 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, December 1, 2017 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, December 9, 2016 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, November 20, 2015 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, April 17, 2015 at Stern/NYU

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, May 9, 2014 at UC Berkeley

· NET Institute Conference on Friday, June 7, 2013 at UC Berkeley