SRI takes part in Stanford Research Park 75th Anniversary
SRI joins companies, researchers, and community members to think about the past and the future.
SRI’s connection to Stanford runs deeper than its time in the research park. The idea dates to the late 1920s, when Stanford professor Robert E. Swain pitched Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce and a 1895 Stanford geology graduate, on an industrial research center at the university. Hoover was enthusiastic, but the plan was shelved during the Depression and again during the war. In 1946, Stanford president Donald Tresidder created SRI to attract private-sector funds to add to federal dollars.
The celebration coincides with SRI’s move to its new headquarters at 3333 Coyote Hill Road, PARC’s longtime home, bringing two organizations with deep roots in the Stanford community under one roof. SRI acquired PARC in 2023.
SRI CEO David Parekh spoke at the event, and SRI hosted a table alongside other SRP innovators. SRI celebrates its own 80th anniversary this year and the Computer History Museum will host an event on November 12, as SRI marks this milestone with the community that has been part of its story.