Starting this summer, the world’s leading thinkers in exponentially growing technologies will be gathering annually at NASA Ames Research Center, in Silicon Valley, for 10 weeks of discussions on how to change the future, and these are part of what is also known as Singularity University, a brand-new academic institution co-founded by inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, X Prize chairman and CEO Peter Diamandis, and former Yahoo Brickhouse head Salim Ismail.

Basically, anyone can apply for the university, and that’s because it’s less a traditional university and more an institution that will feature intensive 10-week, 10-day or 3-day programs examining a set of 10 technologies and disciplines, such as future studies and forecasting, biotechnology and bioinformatics, cognitive computing and nanotechnology.

Of course, everyone will expect students from all around the world, hoping the program will result in the founding of new companies, and the evolution of scientific and technological thinking. Basically, Singularity University will study the items that have shaped modern life, such as vacuum tubes, integrated circuits, chips and microprocessors. At first, the three founders brought together 50 leading thinkers for a founding conference at NASA Ames.

In addition to the core 10-week course, which will be open to graduate and post-graduate students, the university will also offer 3 and 10-day executive programs. As previously mentioned, this summer will be the first for the new university, which will kick off with just 30 students, piggybacking on the International Space University, which will host 120 students at NASA Ames. In the following years, everyone expects Singularity University to expand to about 120 students, the future Larry Page or Steve Jobs.

The results of Singularity University won’t be known for some time, but given the people behind it, the odds of it producing great minds and world-changing technology the founders hope for are quite big.