The Stanford Research Institute International (SRI International; formerly known as the Stanford Research Institute) is a private research institute in the United States that enjoys a global reputation and is esteemed as "the world's first-rate research institute. "It is a private research institute in the United States. It was founded with the support of the Western Consortium of the United States; it became independent from Stanford University in 1970 and changed its name to its current name in 1977. Its main responsibility is to conduct a wide range of integrated discipline research for and business enterprises.