At the dawn of the 21st century, technological evolution is changing our day to day life considerably. In this evolution, computer science and automatic control are playing an increasing role. It is because computer science and automatic control, which are two scientific research fields in their own right, are at the crossroads of the economic and social stakes of our time. Hence it is essential that these fields should keep in constant contact with the outside world. However, all research requires time as well as independence.
Research also needs the support and the framework of a public institution.
Finally, the spatielscale of this technology is worldwide, while its time scale is infinitely shorter than that of basic research. This is the reason why exchanges between the Institute's teams and other large French and foreign research organizations are as immediate and direct as possible. In addition to carrying out basic and applied research, its missions concern the experimentation of innovative systems, the transfer and diffusion of knowledge, in particular through training, development, expert assessment and international exchanges. The budget of the Institute amounts to Meuros 100, exclusive of tax, one quarter of which is from the Institute's own resources-research contracts and development products. The W3C has 500 members and is in charge of developing common protocols for the evolution of the World Wide Web.