An industrial consortium to sponsor the development of an intelligent mathematical programming system

About five years ago an industrial consortium was formed by the author to sponsor a highly multidisciplinary research project aimed at creating an artificially intelligent environment for modeling and analysis. The project is couched in basic research, including the fundamental question of what a model is and how people use one. The milestones, however, include both software and reports as products delivered to the consortium members. These are distributed to them much sooner than they are published in the open literature, giving the consortium members a time advantage for the new technology. In addition to specific products, consortium members given advice and participate in setting priorities and deliverables. This gives the consortium members a form of leveraged research, responsive to their needs. The author organizes semi-annual roundtable discussions that enable all members to exchange ideas and learn what others are doing, relevant to the present primary goals. This gives consortium members a connection into a research community that keeps them at the forefront of modeling and analysis.