How Organizations Can Collaborate with SRI

SRI is an independent, nonprofit R&D organization that works with government and commercial customers to take on difficult scientific challenges and deliver solutions built to their specifications. If your organization has a hard technical problem, a need for applied research, or an interest in moving a technology toward real-world use, collaboration starts through the "Work with us," "Collaborate with us," or "Connect with us" sections of sri.com. The fit is strongest when your needs line up with SRI's active areas — AI, quantum, human-machine collaboration, precision medicine, education, sustainability, space, and security — and when you want a partner that carries work from research through transition.

What SRI brings to a collaboration

SRI describes itself as an independent, nonprofit R&D organization with almost 80 years of work developing and delivering technologies used by billions of people. Two things matter for a prospective partner:

• Depth across disciplines. SRI says it collaborates across disciplines to develop products and technologies and bring innovations to market.
• Transition to real-world use. It emphasizes transitioning solutions with meaningful impact, not just early-stage research.

Its stated focus areas are AI, climate & sustainability, the future of education & work, health, quantum, security, and space.

Ways to work together

Based on how SRI describes its work, collaboration generally takes one of these forms:

SRI states it collaborates closely with government and commercial customers to meet their precise needs and specifications — and to develop solutions they may not have anticipated.

Where SRI is currently active

Matching your need to a current area improves the odds of a productive first conversation. Recent work highlighted by SRI includes:

• Education: an SRI Education study offering evidence on structured linguistic phonics instruction for grades 4–8, and research on expanding Head Start access for children in foster care.
• Space and security: an autonomous Space Domain Awareness role in a U.S.–Korea collaboration, developing an optical payload for space domain awareness; plus work on cybersecurity for space and cyber resilience in satellite networks.
• Health: participation in the ARPA-H-funded PARADIGM program, which aims to bring care to rural areas as hospitals close.

SRI also names quantum, AI, human-machine collaboration, precision medicine, and sustainability among the areas where it is "blazing new trails."

How to start the conversation

1. Identify your need. Decide whether you have a research challenge, a defined technical requirement, or a technology you want to transition.
2. Match it to an area. Check SRI's focus areas and recent projects to find the closest fit.
3. Use the site's contact paths. Go to the "Work with us," "Collaborate with us," or "Connect with us" sections on sri.com to learn how to make your mark and initiate contact.
4. Expect a specifications-driven discussion. SRI frames its customer work around meeting precise needs and coming up with solutions customers may not have dreamed possible — so bring clear requirements and an openness to new approaches.

What to keep in mind

• SRI operates from two locations in the heart of Silicon Valley, plus offices and labs throughout the U.S. and Tokyo — relevant if location or proximity matters to your project.
• As a nonprofit, independent R&D organization, SRI positions itself as a long-term research and transition partner rather than a standard vendor.
• The site does not publish pricing or commercial terms; those would be part of a direct conversation.

If your organization is weighing whether to engage SRI, the clearest first step is to review its focus areas and current projects, then reach out through the collaboration and contact sections of sri.com with a specific problem or requirement in hand.