Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM)

What Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) does

ICERM (Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics) is a National Science Foundation-funded mathematics research institute established in 2011 and operated as an independent research unit within Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. It convenes mathematicians, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students around concentrated research periods through semester-long thematic programs (e.g., the Fall 2026 'Computations on K3 Surfaces and Related Varieties'), week-long topical workshops (e.g., 'Mathematics of 3D Reconstruction'), summer research programs (Summer@ICERM), and outreach camps such as GoGetMath@ICERM for high-school students. Visitors access the Oscar high-performance computing cluster operated by Brown's Center for Computation and Visualization — 400+ compute nodes delivering 650+ teraflops — pre-loaded with mathematical software including MATLAB, Mathematica, Sage, Magma, Macaulay 2, R, Python, and Julia. Applications and reimbursements are handled through the institute's proprietary Cube portal, while a video archive extends reach beyond in-person attendees.

The institute is organized as a private nonprofit under Brown University and is operated by a small full-time staff of approximately 27, including Director Brendan Hassett (also a Brown mathematics professor), Associate Director Jenna Sousa, and Director of Information Technology Mathew Borton. It is principally funded through NSF cooperative agreements under the NSF Mathematics Institutes program, with supplemental grant support from organizations such as Math for America and MathWorks for the GoGetMath outreach initiative. Visiting researchers typically receive a $30,000 semester fellowship (commonly used as a teaching buyout), and program participants receive travel and lodging support. No commercial revenue is generated; participation is grant-funded and freely available to academic researchers.

ICERM's go-to-market is event-driven and academic-network mediated: programs are publicized through the institute's website, seasonal newsletters, and partner channels in the mathematical community, and prospective participants apply through the Cube portal. The marketing, recruitment, and distribution channel strategy is non-commercial — there is no sales motion, no priced product line, and no expansion into industry customers disclosed in the input data.

Name

Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM)

Legal name

Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics

Website

https://icerm.brown.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICERM is an NSF-funded, Brown University-affiliated mathematics research institute that hosts semester programs, topical workshops, summer research, and high-school outreach, serving academic mathematicians, graduate students, and Providence-area high-schoolers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NSF Funding: ICERM is a National Science Foundation-funded mathematics research institute. The NSF provides the primary funding for operations, programs, and fellowships including the standard $30,000 fellowship amount for faculty semester program participants.
2. Program Tuition and Fees: Educational programs such as GoGetMath charge tuition ($100 per participant) with full financial aid available. This represents minimal revenue compared to grant funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ICERM is a National Science Foundation-funded mathematics research institute housed at Brown University. It hosts semester-long research programs, topical workshops, summer research programs for students, and educational outreach (GoGetMath) for high schoolers. It also provides visiting researchers with access to the Oscar high-performance computing cluster and mathematical software, along with a Cube application/reimbursement system and a public video archive of recorded lectures.

Product overview

ICERM is a research institute at Brown University that offers a portfolio of mathematical research programs and educational outreach. Its core offerings include semester-long research programs (e.g., 'Computations on K3 Surfaces and Related Varieties', 'Complex and Arithmetic Dynamics') with associated workshops and research clusters, topical workshops on specialized mathematical topics (e.g., 'Mathematics of 3D Reconstruction', 'Teaching Higher Category Theory with Computers'), Summer@ICERM student research programs, and GoGetMath@ICERM summer math camp for high schoolers. Supporting infrastructure includes the Oscar high-performance computing cluster with mathematical software (MATLAB, Mathematica, Sage, Magma, Macaulay 2), the Cube application/reimbursement system, and a video archive of recorded lectures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Semester Programs
• Topical Workshops
• Summer@ICERM
• GoGetMath@ICERM Five-day non-residential mathematics summer camp for high school students (rising 10th or 11th graders) focused on building confidence and knowledge in mathematics through interactive activities, cryptography, image processing, and coding.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Brown University Center for Computation and Visualization (CCV)coreTechnology or IntegrationCCV maintains the Oscar high-performance computing cluster that ICERM visitors access for mathematical computations. Provides infrastructure and software licensing for mathematical research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Banff International Research Station (BIRS): BIRS is a Canadian-based math research station hosting 5-day workshops and research-in-residence programs. Operates a similar workshop/conference program model to ICERM but is geographically separate and does not directly compete for North American semester-program participants.
• ICMS (International Centre for Mathematical Sciences): ICMS is the UK-based counterpart running workshops, research-in-residence programs, and schools in mathematics. It serves a primarily European participant base rather than competing directly in North America but operates a structurally similar program model.

Direct peers

• Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (now SLMath) - see SLMath: (See SLMath above — the institute was renamed from MSRI in 2022 and remains the closest peer.)
• American Institute of Mathematics (AIM): AIM is a nonprofit mathematics research institute running focused workshops, SQuaREs (small group research programs), and educational initiatives. It shares ICERM's mission of advancing mathematical research through concentrated collaborative programs and shares the same NSF-affiliated nonprofit status.
• Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath, formerly MSRI): The most direct peer to ICERM as a co-funded NSF Mathematics Institute running semester-long research programs, workshops, and educational activities in computational and pure mathematics. SLMath is the largest and longest-running of the NSF math institutes, making it the most relevant comparison point for ICERM's program model.
• Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) School of Mathematics: IAS is a private, independent research institute hosting long-term visiting mathematicians and conducting frontier mathematical research. Although independently funded rather than NSF-funded, it competes with ICERM for the same pool of visiting researchers and operates a similar in-residence collaborative model.
• Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA): IMA at the University of Minnesota is one of the NSF Mathematics Institutes, running semester programs, workshops, and summer schools similar to ICERM's portfolio but with stronger emphasis on applied mathematics. Direct structural and funding parallel to ICERM.

Broad incumbents

• Clay Mathematics Institute: Clay is a private nonprofit focused on mathematical research, including the Millennium Prize Problems and research fellowships. While it does not run semester programs in ICERM's style, it operates in the same nonprofit math-research space and competes for top researcher attention.

Others

• American Mathematical Society (AMS): The AMS is the primary professional society for mathematicians, running conferences, publications, and fellowships. It is not a research institute and does not run ICERM-style programs, but is closely connected as a peer ecosystem organization that channels participants to ICERM programs.
• Mathematical Association of America (MAA): MAA focuses on undergraduate mathematics education and professional development rather than frontier research. It is comparable as an adjacent nonprofit mathematics organization and as a feeder for graduate students into programs like ICERM's Summer@ICERM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-computational-and-experimental-research-in-mathematics-icerm-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM)