Ford has tapped the University of Michigan to help bring cloud computing and social networking to Sync, the company’s wildly successful in-car connectivity and communications-and-entertainment system. The goal is to figure out what’s next.

The project, dubbed American Journey 2.0, provides students with unfettered access to a developmental operating system. It invites them to develop and test programs Ford says will enhance the driving experience for everyone in the car. The company calls the program “a developmental shift for Ford” that brings a touch of Silicon Valley to Detroit while tapping the same audience that has made Sync a success.