Initially, Atlas scorned universities as “ideological monopolies of the Left.” Vocal in its contempt, it constructed itself as an alternative to academia, contributing to “un-politicized” public policy “based on sound science.” The realization, however, that “many cultures of the world [had] not yet fully embraced the think tank model” imposed a pragmatic reorientation. A key actor here was Leonard Liggio, law professor at George Mason, and veteran of the Institute of Humane Studies, who joined Atlas in 1994. In 1999, the John Templeton Foundation gave Liggio and Atlas a grant to target academia. The International Freedom Project (IFP) financed through this grant aimed at planting “seeds of truth” in academia outside North America. The plan was to fund university professors (ranging from $10,000 to $40,000) to develop free market courses and invite prominent guest lecturers. Between 1999 and 2002, Atlas funded sixty-eight courses in twenty-seven countries, an estimated 1,500 students being reached.

Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, loc. 568