| Type | Independent, nonprofit research and development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder(s) | Thomas Slick, Jr. |
| Headquarters | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Revenue | $548 million (2010) |
| Employees | 3057 (2010) |
| Website | www.swri.org |
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is one of the oldest and largest independent, nonprofit, applied research and development (R&D) organizations in the United States. Founded in 1947 by oil businessman Thomas Slick Jr., SwRI provides contract research and development services to government and industrial clients.
The institute consists of 11 technical divisions that offer multidisciplinary, problem-solving services in a variety of areas in engineering and the physical sciences. More than 2,000 projects are active at the institute at any given time. These projects are funded almost equally between the government and commercial sectors. At the close of fiscal year 2010, the SwRI staff numbered 3,057 employees and total revenue was $548 million. The institute provided $6.7 million to fund innovative research through its internally sponsored R&D program.
A partial listing of research areas includes space science and engineering; automation, robotics, and intelligent systems; avionics and support systems; bioengineering; chemistry and chemical engineering; corrosion and electrochemistry; earth and planetary sciences; emissions research; engineering mechanics; fire technology; fluid systems and machinery dynamics; and fuels and lubricants. Additional areas include geochemistry and mining engineering; hydrology and geohydrology; materials sciences and fracture mechanics; modeling and simulation; nondestructive evaluation; oil and gas exploration; pipeline technology; surface modification and coatings; and vehicle, engine, and powertrain design, research, and development.
SwRI initiates contracts with clients based on consultations and prepares a formal proposal outlining the scope of work. Subject to client wishes, programs are kept confidential. As part of a long-held tradition, patent rights arising from sponsored research are often assigned to the client. SwRI generally retains the rights to institute-funded advancements.
The institute’s headquarters occupy more than two million square feet of office and laboratory space on more than 1,200 acres in San Antonio. SwRI has technical offices and laboratories in Boulder, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Warner-Robins, Georgia; Layton and Ogden, Utah; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Rockville, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Beijing, China; and other locations. The institute also provides environmental monitoring expertise at munitions disposal sites at the Umatilla Army Depot at Hermiston, Oregon, and the Pine Bluff Chemical Depot at Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
SwRI’s mission statement is, “Benefiting government, industry and the public through innovative science and technology.” Two of its core values are independence and impartiality.
SwRI consists of 11 divisions that offer multidisciplinary, problem-solving services in a variety of areas in engineering and the physical sciences. Divisions include: