Born in Macon, Missouri, Robert A. Grimm attended Valparaiso University before completing both his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering at Purdue. In 1951, he became the first Purdue electrical engineer to be hired by Hewlett-Packard. In the 1960's , he became general manager of HP's Dymec Division. Grimm spent the 1970's as director of the Integrated Circuits Laboratory. He became director of the Technology Research Center for Semiconductor Research in 1978; in 1984, he was chosen to create and direct HP's Manufacturing Research Center. He retired from the company in 1986.

Always active in his community, Grimm has been a volunteer for the United Way organization for 20 years, served as president of United Way of Santa Clara County in 1974 and 1975, and was president of the United Way of California from 1978 until 1980. He served on the Los Altos City Council and was appointed mayor of the city in 1979. He has served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the YMCA of the Mid-Peninsula. He has been especially active in launching the Tech Museum of Innovation and has served as a full time volunteer managing the implementation of the new science museum's prototype facility which opened in November 1990.