Georgetown University and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation are investing $30 million in a new institute that will merge technology research and policy. The Knight – Georgetown Institute, or KGI, aims to be a nonpartisan hub for conducting information and technology research. The center’s findings will be translated into resources to help leaders in the technology industry, journalists and policymakers address technology-related concerns like election security and surveillance.
The Knight Foundation is a non-profit that invests in areas like the arts, journalism and free expression. It partnered with Georgetown’s Tech and Society Initiative, a community of institutes that collaborate on work related to technology, ethics and governance.
The institute, located in Georgetown’s campus at 500 First St. NW, Washington DC, will kick off its work in this summer. Located only a few blocks from Capitol Hill, KGI is expected to foster collaboration between academics and policymakers.
“The Knight-Georgetown Institute is an exciting manifestation of Georgetown’s deep-seated expertise in the issues of technology, ethics and society, and the Knight Foundation’s investment in media and democracy,” said Georgetown Provost Robert M. Groves. “The need to understand the ways technology impacts our information production systems and our democracy is vital to our shared futures.”
KGI will take an interdisciplinary approach, connecting people from the Knight Foundation and Georgetown to academics in social science, the humanities, journalism and various other fields. Through its collaborative efforts, the institute will aim to increase the role research plays in decision-making. The institute will also host workshops to advise researchers on how to turn their research into a resource and how to interact with legislators and policymakers.
Undergraduate and graduate students at Georgetown will use the center as an educational tool to learn how technology research translates into public policy. In addition to research opportunities, the institute will also provide students with pre-professional and mentorship support.
