Stanford Undergraduate Research Association

What Stanford Undergraduate Research Association does

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association (SURA) is a student-led nonprofit organization affiliated with Stanford University, founded in 2014 to serve as a cross-disciplinary community for undergraduate researchers. It operates from 450 Jane Stanford Way in Stanford, California, with a 10-person core team expanded to 13 executive roles for the 2025-26 academic year, all filled by rotating undergraduate students.

SURA's product portfolio centers on two flagship programs. The Stanford Research Conference (SRC), launched in 2015 and held annually each spring, is a multi-day national forum where undergraduates present research via poster sessions, workshops, keynotes, and panel discussions; SRC 2026 hosted 120+ attendees presenting 101 projects. The annual Mentorship Program pairs emerging undergraduate researchers with graduate-student or experienced-undergraduate mentors across disciplines. Supporting programs include a five-committee organizational structure (Conference, Mentorship, Professional Development, Social, Public Relations) and a Conference Listing Resource that curates external presenting opportunities. The technology stack is non-proprietary: the organization runs on a website, Instagram, Stanford's mailing-list infrastructure, Google Forms, and Zoom.

The business model is non-commercial. All SURA programs are free to participants; SRC provides free on-campus housing, food, and financial-aid reimbursement for travel, while the Mentorship Program is free for both mentors and mentees. SURA does not generate independent revenue and operates under Stanford University's institutional umbrella, with no venture funding, no parent company beyond Stanford, and no disclosed ownership structure. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, recruiting members each fall through Festifall, applications, and interviews, and acquiring SRC participants through direct outreach to US colleges plus virtual info sessions.

Name

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association

Legal name

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association

Website

https://sura.stanford.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association (SURA) is a Stanford-affiliated, student-led nonprofit founded in 2014 that runs the annual Stanford Research Conference, a cross-disciplinary Mentorship Program, and supporting committees for undergraduate researchers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Undergraduate Research Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Research, Capstone & Extended Essay Mentoring (IB EE, independent research) (EDANAKAH)

Keywords

• Undergraduate research programs
• Student mentorship services
• Research conference organization
• Academic research community
• Undergraduate research support

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. No explicit revenue model: SURA is a student organization at Stanford University. The Mentorship Program is free for participants. The Stanford Research Conference offers free on-campus hosting and financial aid for attendees. No revenue-generating activities are described.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association (SURA) is a student-led non-profit organization at Stanford University that provides two core programs: (1) the annual Stanford Research Conference (SRC), a multi-day national undergraduate research conference featuring poster sessions, workshops, keynote speakers, and panel discussions; and (2) the annual Mentorship Program, which pairs undergraduate students with experienced mentors (graduate students or experienced undergraduates) across all academic disciplines. All programs are offered free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Stanford Undergraduate Research Association (SURA) is a student organization offering a portfolio of programs centered around undergraduate research accessibility. The core offerings consist of the Stanford Research Conference (SRC) — an annual multi-day conference where undergraduates present research via poster sessions, panels, and workshops — and the Mentorship Program, which pairs emerging researchers with experienced mentors across disciplines. SURA also operates through committees (Conference, Mentorship, Professional Development, Social, Public Relations) that students can join annually. The organization provides a conference listing resource for external presenting opportunities. The architecture is a single unified organization with multiple interconnected programs rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stanford Research Conference (SRC): An annual research conference for undergraduate students held at Stanford University, featuring poster sessions, workshops, keynote speakers, and panels. Accepts applications each fall from undergraduates at two and four-year institutions.

Products and services

• Stanford Research Conference (SRC) An annual multi-day research conference for undergraduate students nationwide, featuring poster sessions, workshops, keynote speakers, panel discussions, and networking events. Students present research projects spanning sciences, humanities, and other disciplines. Free for attendees with on-campus housing, food, and financial aid for transportation.
• Mentorship Program

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society: International honor society supporting scientific research with student chapters and conferences. Comparable as a broader established organization supporting undergraduate research involvement and presentation.
• Posters on the Hill (CUR): National undergraduate research presentation event held in Washington, DC. Comparable as an established national venue for undergraduate researchers to present work, competing with SURA's SRC.
• National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR): Hosts the largest national undergraduate research conference in the US. Comparable as a direct competitor in the undergraduate research conference space with substantially larger scale and longer history.
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR): National organization supporting undergraduate research across institutions. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the undergraduate research community, hosting conferences and providing resources that overlap with SURA's mission.

Direct peers

• Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association (HCURA): Harvard's undergraduate research organization hosting research conferences and mentorship programs. Directly comparable to SURA as a peer-university student-led research association with a national conference model.
• MIT Undergraduate Research Association: MIT's undergraduate research organization coordinating research opportunities and conferences. Directly comparable as a peer university student-led research association.
• Yale Undergraduate Research Association: Yale's undergraduate research community and presentation forum. Comparable as a peer Ivy League student organization supporting undergraduate research activities.
• Columbia Undergraduate Research Association: Columbia's undergraduate research body offering research symposia and resources. Comparable as a peer university student organization with similar research showcase and mentorship activities.
• Princeton Undergraduate Research Symposium: Princeton's undergraduate research conference and program. Comparable as a peer university research symposium that competes for top undergraduate research talent nationally.

Regional players

• UC Berkeley Undergraduate Research (URAP): Berkeley's undergraduate research apprenticeship program providing research opportunities. Comparable as a major public university research program serving a different geographic/demographic than SURA's Stanford context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stanford
• Instagraminstagram.com/stanfordugresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stanford-undergraduate-research-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stanford Undergraduate Research Association