Microsoft (MSFT) has created the Internet Services Research Center and named Dr. Harry Shum, former head of Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing, as its new head.

ISRC is an applied research organization dedicated to accelerating innovations in search and ad technologies and delivering them more rapidly to advertisers and customers. The new group will be a part of Microsoft Research, and the team will work closely with MSN and other product groups across the company.

Shum has been promoted to corporate vice president, to lead the ISRC. He joined Microsoft in 1996, and has worked in Microsoft Research as a researcher, research manager, assistant managing director, managing director of Microsoft Research Asia and distinguished engineer.

The new organization will bring together research efforts from across the company to develop technologies related to advancing the state of the art in advertising and search.

"Throughout the company we have crack research teams with brilliant minds and fires in their bellies working on next-generation search and ad technologies," said Shum. "We're harnessing their energy and ingenuity and consolidating them into one, cohesive organization."

Microsoft Research Asia, founded in 1998, is Microsoft's fundamental research arm in Asia Pacific. Located in Beijing, this lab harnesses the best talents from across the world to realize Microsoft's vision of computing and push the state of the art. With more than 300 researchers and over 1,200 top-tier publications, the lab has grown into a center of excellence for cutting-edge research.