When Microsoft said that the acquisition of Yahoo was no longer the backbone of its strategy to compete against Google, the company emphasized that the best solution available to reduce the gap separating it from the Mountain View-based Internet giant was to grow its search engine organically. With results having yet to attest that this tactic will be a winning move, Microsoft has its R&D wheels in motion, and is preparing the introduction of a search website designed exclusively to test concepts. Viveri, a project from Microsoft Research, is already live, but visitors will not be able to access any details from the Redmond company.

Moving forward in 2009, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer promised that the Redmond company would spend in excess of $9 billion on research and development by the end of this year alone. Viveri is an integral part of Microsoft Research's efforts to push Live Search forward, and closer to Google, without actually touching it. According to TechFlash, Viveri is designed as a standalone research search engine that will not be connected in any way with Live Search.

Robert Rounthwaite, a Microsoft Research software architect, revealed that Viveri was meant to act as the testing grounds for new concepts, ideas and technologies. Whether Viveri's testing items will end up being integrated into Live Search will depend on how they will be embraced by the testers and the feedback they generate.

"Most people are not going to want to have their lives interrupted by the latest wacky idea we have," Rounthwaite explained. "But some people will, and their feedback will help us figure out which ones aren't so wacky." Currently the message “Viveri is under construction” along with a redirect to U Rank are the only messages welcoming users to the research project, along with the promise that the website is “coming soon.” But not exactly soon, as the launch is reportedly scheduled for the summer of 2009.