The Toulouse Network for Information Technology (TNIT) was created in 1995 in response to the perceived need for more high-quality economic research on the software industry, on the development and role of the Internet, and on intellectual property. The aim of the network is to encourage some of the best academic economists in the world to engage the issues generated by the rapid development of information technology. The resulting body of work has spanned a large and varied amount of topics, and has helped further our understanding of these critically important markets.

The members of TNIT commit themselves to pursuing active research in the areas of interest of the network, and to participating in a yearly meeting where they discuss each other’s research and dialog with high-level practitioners about the evolution of the industry.

The work of the network is funded by Microsoft Corporation, and managed by the Institut d’Economie Industrielle (IDEI), a not-for-profit think tank at France’s University of Toulouse Capitole. To meet TNIT’s expectation of world-class research, members enjoy complete academic independence in their work.