Definition: SRI

(SRI International, Menlo Park, CA) One of the oldest and largest non-profit, research, technology development and consulting firms in the U.S. Founded in 1946 in conjunction with Stanford University, SRI (then Stanford Research Institute) was created to "promote the application of science in the development of commerce, trade and industry."

Over the years, SRI scientists and researchers have been involved in such fields as healthcare, information sciences and technology, national defense, chemical engineering, advanced materials and TV and electronics. In 1987, SRI acquired the Sarnoff Corporation, Princeton, New Jesey, a for-profit subsidiary that began its own corporate life as RCA Laboratories in 1942. Sarnoff has played a leading role in the creation and distribution of high definition television and the U.S. standards for HDTV. See telesurgery.

A Lab at SRI

SRI's Menlo Park campus includes more than 50 labs. (Image courtesy of SRI International.)