SRI International is one of the world's largest contract research firms. It was founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946 by corporate interests in conjunction with Stanford University. Later it became fully independent and was incorporated as a non-profit organization under US and California laws.
In 1977, the Stanford Research Institute became known as SRI International, and was no longer associated intimately with Stanford University. For its work, SRI was awarded more than 10,000 patents in engineering and technology. SRI International conducts research and development in many areas, both independently and for hire, and sells reports on independent research.