The Windows Research Kernel and Memory Analysis
When doing memory analysis research it is a huge help to have access to the program's source code. While it's easy to get access to open source programs like TrueCrypt and Linux, it becomes harder with closed-source systems like Microsoft Windows. Researchers connected to academia, however, may be able to get access to the Windows source code with the Windows Research Kernel.

Most memory analysis work to date has been based on published documentation or black-box testing. The field would be greatly advanced with access to the Windows source code. Although we can see the data structures that are involved thanks to the debugging symbols, without reversing the assembly code (which is possibly against the Windows license), there's no good way to see what the operating system is really doing.

There are some projects designed to create interoperable products such as ReactOS or Wine that can offer similar functionality. But they really don't tell anybody what's happening inside Windows. Without access to the Windows source code, we really don't know.

Although access to the full Windows source code is highly restricted, a version is available to academics. Specifically, the Microsoft Corporation has made a version of the Windows kernel available under the Windows Academic Program and under the terms of a specific license agreement. This version of the source code, the The Windows Research Kernel, can be compiled for both 32 and 64 bit platforms, allowing researchers to examine, modify, and compile their own versions of the Windows kernel. Ostensibly published to encourage instruction in operating systems construction, this product could also be used to further memory analysis.

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