# Southwest Research Institute

> independent, nonprofit research and development organization

**Wikidata**: [Q1509357](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1509357)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southwest_Research_Institute)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/southwest-research-institute

## Summary
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is an independent, nonprofit research and development organization founded in 1947 by Tom Slick. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, it employs approximately 3,000 people and generates annual revenue of $674 million.

## Key Facts
- Founded in 1947 by Tom Slick in San Antonio, Texas
- Independent, nonprofit research and development organization
- Employs approximately 3,000 people (as of 2019)
- Generates annual revenue of $674 million (as of 2019)
- ISNI: 0000000103214125 and 0000000122971295
- ROR ID: 03tghng59
- Grid ID: grid.201894.6
- Headquarters located at 6220 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, TX 78238
- Coordinates: 29.4425° N, -98.6125° W
- Member of Orbital Reef University Advisory Council since October 25, 2021
- Subsidiary: Southwest Research Institute Boulder Office
- Legal form: privately held company

## FAQs
### Q: What does Southwest Research Institute do?
A: Southwest Research Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and development organization that conducts applied engineering and physical sciences research across multiple industries including space, energy, and defense.

### Q: Where is Southwest Research Institute located?
A: The main headquarters is located at 6220 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, TX 78238, with coordinates 29.4425° N, -98.6125° W. They also have a Boulder Office subsidiary.

### Q: How large is Southwest Research Institute?
A: As of 2019, Southwest Research Institute employs approximately 3,000 people and generates annual revenue of $674 million.

## Why It Matters
Southwest Research Institute plays a crucial role in advancing applied research and development across multiple scientific and engineering disciplines. As an independent, nonprofit organization, it provides unbiased research capabilities to government agencies, industry partners, and academic institutions without commercial conflicts of interest. The organization's work spans critical areas including space exploration, energy systems, defense technologies, and environmental science, contributing to technological innovations that benefit society. Its nonprofit status and substantial workforce enable it to tackle complex, long-term research challenges that might be too risky or resource-intensive for private companies. The institute's involvement in major NASA missions and its development of cutting-edge technologies demonstrate its significant impact on scientific advancement and national priorities.

## Notable For
- Founding by oil tycoon Tom Slick in 1947, establishing one of the first independent research organizations
- Managing multiple NASA heliophysics satellite projects including PUNCH constellation components
- Generating $674 million in annual revenue while maintaining nonprofit status
- Employing 3,000 researchers across diverse scientific and engineering disciplines
- Developing the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System for Earth observation

## Body
### History and Foundation
Southwest Research Institute was founded in 1947 by Tom Slick, an oil tycoon and inventor, in San Antonio, Texas. The organization was established as an independent research entity to provide applied research services across multiple industries without commercial bias.

### Research Capabilities
SwRI conducts research across numerous disciplines including space science, energy systems, defense technologies, environmental science, and applied engineering. The organization has developed expertise in applied research that bridges theoretical science with practical engineering solutions.

### NASA Partnerships
The institute has significant involvement in NASA missions, managing components of the PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) constellation, which includes multiple heliophysics satellites. These partnerships demonstrate SwRI's capabilities in space science and satellite technology development.

### Organizational Structure
As a privately held nonprofit organization, SwRI maintains independence from commercial interests while generating substantial revenue through research contracts. The organization employs approximately 3,000 people and operates from its San Antonio headquarters with additional facilities including the Boulder Office subsidiary.

### Technical Infrastructure
SwRI maintains extensive research facilities and laboratories supporting its diverse research programs. The organization's technical capabilities span from basic scientific research through applied engineering and prototype development.

## Schema Markup
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  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Southwest Research Institute",
  "description": "Independent, nonprofit research and development organization founded in 1947 by Tom Slick",
  "url": "https://www.swri.org",
  "sameAs": [
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  ],
  "foundingDate": "1947",
  "founders": [
    {
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      "name": "Tom Slick"
    }
  ],
  "numberOfEmployees": 3000,
  "location": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "San Antonio, Texas",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "6220 Culebra Rd",
      "addressLocality": "San Antonio",
      "addressRegion": "TX",
      "postalCode": "78238",
      "addressCountry": "United States"
    },
    "geo": {
      "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
      "latitude": 29.4425,
      "longitude": -98.6125
    }
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  "legalForm": "nonprofit organization",
  "isicV4": "7210"
}

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-01-10
2. CiNii Research
3. [Source](https://blueorigin-static-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/orbital-reef-press-release.pdf)
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. GeoNames
6. [Source](https://www.swri.org/)
7. [Source](https://www.swri.org)
8. GRID Release 2015-12-14
9. GRID Release 2016-12-06
10. Open Funder Registry
11. Quora
12. [Source](https://www.quora.com/topic/Southwest-Research-Institute)
13. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
14. YouTube API
15. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
16. [Internet Domains Wikibase](https://domains.wikibase.cloud/entity/Q123332)