When founder Frederick Gardner Cottrell and the original Board of Directors chose the name “Research Corporation” in 1912, the term “foundation” was not in common use. At that time, the only other foundation in existence in America was the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which had been established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911.
After many years of confusion about what Research Corporation actually does, the decision was made in 2008 to change the Foundation’s name to Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The new name was chosen to underscore the role of the Foundation in science advancement at a time when U.S. preeminence in scientific research, long assumed throughout the world, is facing increasingly intense competition from growing research programs overseas.