The central function of the Institute is to conduct and promote research on the information society in the two universities in Tampere. The main responsibility for the research work itself remains with the research groups working in different departments and representing different disciplines and fields of expertise.
A contract concerning the establishment of the Institute was signed between the University of Tampere and the City of Tampere in spring 2001. At the same time, a Board of Directors consisting of eleven members was nominated for the Institute. Dr. Sami Borg was made Chairman of the Board, and Research Director Antti Kasvio is in charge of the operative functions of the Institute.
The founding of the Institute can be justified by the constantly strengthening position of new information and communication technologies in society, economy and culture. The changes and transitions effected by the powerful presence of new technologies have been studied in nearly all of the disciplines represented at the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology. The launch of the eTampere programme and the establishment of the Information Society Institute as a part of it both aim to better enable researchers to make use of the real-life test environment that is constantly in operation in their surroundings. Fresh initiatives for research into areas that, as the information society development is still in progress, are only just emerging as central points of interest will be afforded special priority.