History of SRI International

SRI International was founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946 by the trustees of Stanford University. The institute's establishment followed several decades of cooperation between members of the Stanford community and U.S. West Coast business executives.

Details of this era are reported in a two-volume set of books by Dr. Weldon "Hoot" Gibson, one of SRI's earliest management team members. In 2005, Don Nielson, who spent nearly 40 years at SRI in a variety of research and management roles, authored A Heritage of Innovation: SRI’s First Half Century. The book concentrates on 50 of the more than 50,000 projects that the institute has completed in its 60-year history.

The timeline presented here lists key steps leading to SRI's creation and key events during SRI's development. Also visit our timeline of innovations to learn about the institute's many achievements.

• 2000s
• 1990s
• 1980s
• 1970s
• 1960s
• 1950s
• 1940s
• 1920s - 1930s