What Computing Research Association does

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1972 (as the Computer Science Board) and headquartered in Washington, DC. It represents nearly 300 North American organizations active in computing research — academic computing departments, industry and government laboratories, and affiliated professional societies including ACM, IEEE-CS, AAAI, SIAM, USENIX, and CS-Can/Info-Can. CRA's mission is to unite industry, academia, and government to strengthen computing research and advanced education, which it executes through policy advocacy before Congress and federal agencies, workforce development programs, community events, and authoritative data collection (notably the annual Taulbee Survey on PhD production and faculty demographics).

CRA's product surface is a portfolio of programs and services rather than a technology platform: the annual CRA Summit, the CRA Career Center job board, the Computing Research News magazine, leadership development programs (LiSPI, New Chairs Workshop, Leadership Academy), mentoring pipelines (Grad Cohort, Career Mentoring Workshop), undergraduate-to-PhD transition programs (UR2PhD, DREU, DREAM), AI-focused programs (Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship, NAIRR Conferences, LEVEL UP AI, AI Education Fellows), and awards programs (Distinguished Service, Habermann, Anita Borg, Skip Ellis). It does not develop proprietary technology.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual membership dues structured in tiers — U.S. academic units pay $999-$13,899 based on research funding and faculty count; industry and lab memberships range from $7,500 (Supporter) to $50,000 (Platinum); professional societies pay $1.79 per eligible member, capped at $107,400. Additional funding comes from sponsored projects (notably NSF-funded programs such as CSGrad4US, LEVEL UP AI, and the Trustworthy AI Fellowship), the Career Center's job-posting fees, and contributions through coalition work with the Coalition for National Science Funding and the Task Force on American Innovation.

Name

Computing Research Association

Legal name

Computing Research Association

Website

https://cra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Computing Research Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association that unites ~300 North American academic, industry, and government organizations in computing research. It advances its mission through policy advocacy, workforce programs, events, and authoritative data such as the Taulbee Survey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CRA generates revenue primarily through annual membership dues from academic units, industry labs, and professional societies. Dues are structured based on research funding levels and organizational size. Academic unit dues range from $999 to $13,899 annually depending on PhD-granting status and research funding. Industry/lab memberships range from Supporter level ($7,500) to Platinum ($50,000). Professional society dues are calculated based on member count at $1.79 per member with caps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association that unites industry, academia, and government to advance computing research. It sells institutional memberships to academic computing departments, industry research labs, government agencies, and professional societies, and delivers programs including the CRA Summit, mentoring workshops, fellowships, the Taulbee Survey, publications, policy advocacy, and the CRA Career Center job platform.

Product overview

The Computing Research Association (CRA) offers a portfolio of programs and services focused on advancing computing research through community building, professional development, advocacy, and data services. The core offerings include the CRA Summit (premier annual conference), CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops, UR2PhD, DREU, DREAM, and CSGrad4US (graduate fellowship programs), CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship, CRA Career Mentoring Workshop, CRA Leadership Academy, and New Chairs Workshop (professional development), the CRA Career Center (job posting platform), Computing Research News and CRA Bulletin (publications), CRA Taulbee Survey (annual data collection), Government Affairs services including CRAN and Congressional Visit Days (advocacy), and various awards programs including Distinguished Service Award, A. Nico Habermann Award, Anita Borg Early Career Award, Skip Ellis Early Career Award, and Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRA Summit CRA's premier annual gathering for the computing research community, bringing together researchers, educators, and leaders to explore key challenges and opportunities for the field. Open to CRA members.
• CRA Career Mentoring Workshop Workshop designed to provide career guidance and mentoring opportunities for computing researchers.
• CRA Leadership Academy Program designed to develop leadership skills among computing research professionals.
• CRA New Chairs Workshop Workshop for newly appointed department chairs in computing to learn about their roles and responsibilities.
• Leadership in Science Policy Institute (LiSPI) Program where computing researchers can learn about science policy in the U.S. and how government works.
• CRA-WP Grad Cohort Workshops Workshops focused on supporting underrepresented groups in computing research through cohort-based mentorship.
• UR2PhD Program supporting students transitioning from undergraduate to PhD programs in computing.
• DREU (Distributed Research Apprenticeship Program) Program providing research apprenticeship opportunities for undergraduate students.
• DREAM (Distributed Research Apprenticeships for Masters) Program providing distributed research apprenticeship opportunities for master's students.
• CSGrad4US Graduate Fellowship NSF-funded graduate fellowship and mentoring program aimed at increasing domestic graduate students pursuing computing research careers.
• CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship Fellowship program supporting research in trustworthy AI.
• CRA Career Center Premier job posting platform for careers in computing research, connecting employers with computing scientists, engineers, and researchers. CRA members receive a 40% discount on job postings.
• CRA Taulbee Survey Annual survey tracking enrollment, production, and employment of PhDs in computer science and computer engineering, providing salary and demographic data for CS and CE faculty in North America.
• Institutional Memberships Annual membership program for U.S. and Non-U.S. North American academic computing departments ($999-$13,899), industry/lab/center memberships (Supporter $7,500 to Platinum $50,000), and professional society memberships ($1.79 per member). Includes priority access to CRA Summit, job posting discounts, affinity group participation, and voting rights.
• Government Affairs Services Advocacy tools and services including Congressional Visit Days, Computing Research Advocacy Network (CRAN), and policy resources for the computing research community.
• CRA Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing outstanding contributions including the Distinguished Service Award, A. Nico Habermann Award, Anita Borg Early Career Award, Skip Ellis Early Career Award, Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award, Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentoring Award, and Service to CRA Award.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• AnitaB.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026CRA is a partner in Mediaplanet's Women in Computing campaign launched June 26, 2026. The initiative addresses underrepresentation of women in technology roles and aims to foster greater participation across computing, AI, cybersecurity, and other STEM fields.
• 1EdTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026CRA is a partner in Mediaplanet's Women in Computing campaign. 1EdTech contributes expert insights, personal stories, and career guidance on workforce development and inclusion.
• American Association of University WomencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026CRA is a partner in Mediaplanet's Women in Computing campaign. AAUW provides expert insights, personal stories, and career guidance on workforce development and inclusion for women in technology.
• Rewriting the CodecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026CRA is a partner in Mediaplanet's Women in Computing campaign. Rewriting the Code contributes expert insights, personal stories, and career guidance to empower women in technology.
• Women in DefensecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026CRA is a partner in Mediaplanet's Women in Computing campaign. Women in Defense provides expert insights, personal stories, and career guidance on workforce development and inclusion.
• Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRA is a member of CNSF, a coalition of over 120 organizations that advocates for increased NSF funding. CRA works with this coalition to stay informed on pressing issues, pool resources, and hold briefings and events for Congressional staff.
• Task Force on American InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRA is a member of the Task Force on American Innovation, an alliance of high-tech companies, research universities, and scientific societies concerned about funding at NSF, DOE, and NIST. The coalition advocates for increased federal investment in computing research.
• Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)coreOthersAffiliated professional society member with one representative on the CRA Board of Directors. AAAI supports CRA's mission to catalyze computing research.
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)coreOthersAffiliated professional society with two representatives on the CRA Board of Directors. ACM is a founding member organization supporting CRA's computing research advocacy.
• IEEE Computer SocietycoreOthersAffiliated professional society with two representatives on the CRA Board of Directors. IEEE-CS supports CRA's mission to unite industry, academia, and government in advancing computing research.
• CS-Can/Info-CancoreOthersAffiliated professional society with one representative on the CRA Board of Directors. CS-Can/Info-Can represents Canadian computing research and is a key international partner for CRA.
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)secondaryOthersAffiliated professional society with one representative on the CRA Board of Directors. SIAM supports CRA's mission with expertise in computational science and applied mathematics.
• USENIX AssociationsecondaryOthersAffiliated professional society with one representative on the CRA Board of Directors. USENIX supports CRA's computing research mission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IEEE Computer Society: A major computing professional society with two seats on CRA's Board and overlapping institutional and individual membership with CRA. Comparable on member demographics (CS researchers in academia, industry, and government) and on policy/standards influence, though delivered primarily through publications, conferences, and technical standards rather than advocacy.
• USENIX Association: A computing systems professional society affiliated with CRA and serving overlapping institutional and individual audiences. Comparable as a community-led association advancing computing research through conferences, publications, and open-access initiatives, with similar membership economics and member-segment overlap.
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): An applied mathematics and computational science professional society affiliated with CRA. Comparable as an interdisciplinary computing-adjacent research society serving academic and industry researchers with conferences, publications, and awards — overlapping audience and similar member-driven governance model.
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): The largest international computing professional society, serving the same computing research community that CRA represents. ACM holds two seats on CRA's Board and is a founding member, but offers a competing/overlapping value proposition through its Digital Library, conferences, and individual memberships — making it the closest comparable on mission and audience.
• AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence): The principal AI research professional society, affiliated with CRA and holding a Board seat. Directly comparable as a research-discipline-specific association serving academic and industry AI researchers, with a conference- and publication-led engagement model that overlaps with CRA's fellowship, awards, and education programs in AI.

Broad incumbents

• American Physical Society: A large scientific professional society with a long-standing Washington government-affairs office. Comparable as a research-discipline society that combines publications/conferences with federal advocacy, talent pipeline programs, and awards — a useful benchmark for CRA's potential scale and operating model in a different field.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): The largest general scientific advocacy organization in the U.S. Comparable as a nonprofit membership association running large-scale advocacy, policy publications, and annual meetings that convene the research community with federal policymakers — operating at broader scale and scope than CRA but exercising the same government-affairs playbook.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: A congressionally chartered institution that advises the U.S. government on science policy and runs the National Research Council. Comparable as a high-credibility policy-influencing body for computing-adjacent research, and a frequent partner/peer of CRA in producing Quadrennial Papers-style agenda-setting reports.

Regional players

• Internet Society (ISOC): A global nonprofit advocating for an open, secure Internet through policy, standards, and capacity-building. Comparable as a technology-research-adjacent association running advocacy, fellowships, and community programs with a similar membership/government-affairs operating model, though focused on Internet governance rather than computing research per se.

Emerging players

• Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF): An advocacy coalition of 120+ organizations in which CRA is a member. Comparable as a peer-level convening and lobbying body for NSF funding — operating at a different organizational layer (coalition vs. association) but addressing the same federal R&D appropriations issue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/computingresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/computingresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/99314
• Xx.com/CRAtweets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Computing Research Association