The Microsoft initiative has already seen the hiring of at least five senior researchers, all now part of the University family but holding major appointments with Microsoft. The new math campus, being constructed in West Cambridge, is another example. The intersection between strong sciences and high-tech businesses is obvious and clearly understood in Cambridge. The University continues to strive to hire the best scientists, believing correctly that the rest will follow. Another observation about the success of the Cambridge Phenomenon is that there is a crossover of technologies, both at the University and in the area, that promotes interdisciplinary innovation.
Chemists work with engineers, who in turn work with modern-life scientists.
At the intersection of these disciplines and technologies, some of the most interesting work is occurring. As a result, the University invests a good deal in such efforts and has many interdisciplinary institutes that have made major discoveries. The companies in the community are also organized at the intersection of these technologies. It also is interesting that there is no single geographic focus for high-tech development. Though the Cambridge Science Park and the St. John s Innovation Centre were clearly important early on, and remain so, there are now a number of science or research parks under development, each with its own focus and, in many cases, anchored by a major tenant.