Entry Date:
October 19, 2016

MIT International Policy Lab (IPL)


The mission of the International Policy Lab is to enhance the impact of MIT research on public policy, in order to best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

The IPL accomplishes the mission in three ways.

(1) We meet with participating faculty to help them define realistic policy goals and develop an effective “impact plan” based on these goals and the time the faculty member wishes to devote.

(2) We provide modest grants for MIT faculty members to translate their scholarship into workable policy recommendations and to deliver those recommendations to policymakers.

(3) We work with partners in Washington, D.C. (including both MIT’s Washington Office and prominent think tanks) to arrange meetings with relevant policymakers, media appearances, Congressional testimony, and other events designed to impact the policy process.

IPL support allows MIT researchers to have a maximum impact on policy with minimal expenditure of faculty time.