Inaoe

What Inaoe does

INAOE (Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica Óptica y Electrónica) is a Mexican public research institution established in 1971, with scientific roots tracing to the Observatorio Astrofísico Nacional de Tonantzintla founded by Luis Enrique Erro in 1942. Operating under Mexico's federal science authority CONAHCYT (now Secihti) as a Centro Público de Investigación, INAOE conducts research and graduate training across four academic coordinations: Astrophysics, Optics, Electronics, and Computer Sciences. The institute employs 501 to 1,000 staff at its main campus in Tonantzintla, Puebla, and serves graduate students, early-career researchers, the international astronomy community, and Mexico's broader science and technology ecosystem.

The institute's core assets include world-class astronomical infrastructure: the 50-meter Gran Telescopio Milimétrico (GTM/LMT) at Sierra Negra volcano, the HAWC gamma-ray observatory (300 water tanks across 22 km²), and the Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro (2.12m optical reflector in Cananea, Sonora). Its Computer Sciences division runs active AI and robotics programs, most visibly the QuetzalC++ autonomous drone team led by Dr. José Martínez Carranza, which has won the IEEE IROS 2017 Autonomous Drone Racing competition, third place in NeurIPS 2019 Game of Drones, and first place in the Latin America region of the OpenCV AI Competition 2021. INAOE also develops proprietary technologies such as DeepPilot CNN architectures, the ESPADA aerial image dataset (80k images, published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters), a patent-granted camera for drone navigation in adverse conditions (granted 2025), and recently established the KUTSARI National Semiconductor Design Center. The institute hosts international conferences including MICAI 2024 (500+ attendees), IMAV 2025 (250+ delegates, 12 international teams), and RoboCup Mexican Open 2025 (1,000+ participants).

INAOE's revenue model is government-funded rather than commercial. Federal funding flows through CONAHCYT/Secihti for operations, personnel, and infrastructure, supplemented by State of Puebla funding for the Electro Tlalli semiconductor training program. All graduate programs (master's and doctoral) are tuition-free, and summer research programs (VICI, VIAI), public observation nights, and outreach activities (Baños de Ciencia, Martes de Ciencia) are offered at no charge. International telescope time allocations (GTM, Gran Telescopio Canarias, Guillermo Haro) provide in-kind value through scientific collaboration, while nascent technology-transfer opportunities exist through patents such as the adverse-condition drone camera, though commercial licensing has not been publicly confirmed. Industry contributions (HELIBOSS, Intel Guadalajara, WG Drones, Synopsys) represent non-cash in-kind support to specific research programs.

Name

Inaoe

Legal name

Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica Óptica y Electrónica

Website

https://inaoep.mx

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

INAOE is a Mexican public research institution under CONAHCYT/Secihti that conducts research and graduate training in astrophysics, optics, electronics, and computer science while operating major astronomical observatories and AI/robotics programs for Mexico's scientific community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research and Graduate Education (Public Research Institute)

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutes of Technology (IoT / Technical Universities) (EDAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM), Analog Front-End (AFE) ICs (Sensor/Medical/Industrial AFE) (HDAHAIAJ), Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Sensors & Targeting Systems (IMABAGAC)

Keywords

• Scientific research services
• Astronomy observatories
• Graduate education programs
• Semiconductor design training
• Autonomous systems research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco Totimehuacan

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding (CONACYT / Secihti): As a Centro Público de Investigación of the Mexican government's Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación (Secihti, formerly CONACYT), INAOE receives direct federal government funding for research operations, infrastructure, and personnel. This is the primary revenue source supporting all academic and research activities.
2. Semiconductor Training Program Revenue: The Electro Tlalli program (KUTSARI semiconductor design initiative) receives support from the State of Puebla government for training youth in integrated circuit design, representing a state government funding stream.
3. Licensing and Technology Transfer (Emerging): Patent licensing revenue potential exists from developed technologies such as the adverse-condition drone navigation camera, though commercial licensing arrangements are not yet confirmed.
4. International Collaboration and Observing Time: INAOE participates in international astronomical projects (GTM, HAWC, Gran Telescopio Canarias) that provide access to world-class observing infrastructure in exchange for scientific contribution, representing an in-kind revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

INAOE is a Mexican public research institution that conducts fundamental and applied research in astrophysics, optics, electronics, and computer science, and trains postgraduate students (Master's and Doctorate). It operates major astronomical observatories (Gran Telescopio Milimétrico, HAWC, Observatorio Astrofísico Guillermo Haro) providing observing time to the national and international scientific community, delivers free graduate education and summer research programs (VICI, VIAI), and runs the KUTSARI National Semiconductor Design Center with training programs (Electro Tlalli).

Product overview

INAOE (Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica Óptica y Electrónica) is a Mexican public research institution organized into four academic coordinations: Astrophysics, Electronics, Optics, and Computer Sciences. The institution operates major astronomical observatories including the Gran Telescopio Milimétrico (GTM), HAWC gamma ray observatory, and the Guillermo Haro Observatory. INAOE offers graduate programs (master's and doctoral) and summer research programs (VICI and VIAI), while its Computer Sciences division conducts AI/robotics research including the QuetzalC++ autonomous drone team. The institution also hosts the KUTSARI National Semiconductor Design Center and training programs like Electro Tlalli for IC design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KUTSARI: Centro Nacional de Diseño de Semiconductores sede Puebla
• VIAI
• VICI
• SENCIEX

Products and services

• Verano de Investigación en Astrofísica (VIAI) Three-week summer research program where students join astrophysics research groups at INAOE to work on research projects involving data from major world telescopes (HAWC, GTC, HST, JWST, Herschel, ALMA, GTM) and theoretical modeling. Free of charge with limited capacity, accommodation and meals provided.
• Verano de Investigación Científica en el INAOE (VICI) Summer research internship program coordinated with Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (AMC), Programa DELFÍN, and Programa JAGUAR. Opens summer stays to students from across Mexico in all INAOE research areas including cosmology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, quantum optics, biomedical sciences, and cybersecurity.
• Gran Telescopio Milimétrico Alfonso Serrano (GTM)

Quantifiable outcome

• 178 peer-reviewed publications by Dr. Carranza's team alone, with 822 Scopus citations
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature18 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Government of the State of PueblacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2025The Government of the State of Puebla (led by Governor Alejandro Armenta Mier) partnered with INAOE to launch Electro Tlalli - a free training program in integrated circuit design targeting high school and university students in Puebla. The program is part of Puebla's strategy to become a semiconductor technology hub, aligning with national semiconductor development goals.
• Centro Nacional de Metrología de Panamá (CENAMEP AIP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2025CENAMEP AIP (Panama) and CENAM (Mexico) visited INAOE to develop collaboration projects. Meeting addressed INAOE's activities, the LIMEMS (Laboratorio de Innovación en MEMS) project, and potential metrology collaborations.
• IFUNAM (Instituto de Física de la UNAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025Work meeting between INAOE and IFUNAM to strengthen academic collaboration, hosted at INAOE. Directors and researchers from both institutions met to explore future research collaborations, including visits to Microelectronics Lab, Millimeter-Wave Astronomical Instrumentation Lab, and Integrated Circuit Characterization Lab.
• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Dr. José Martínez Carranza holds the title of Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. He received the Newton Advanced Fellowship from the Royal Society (2015-2018) supporting collaboration with Bristol. He completed his PhD at Bristol in 2012 and was Postdoctoral Researcher there 2012-2014.
• WG DronesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025WG Drones donated 6 drones to Dr. Carranza's research team at INAOE, supporting autonomous drone research activities.
• Intel GuadalajaraminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Intel Guadalajara donated equipment and drones to the QuetzalC++ research team at INAOE.
• HELIBOSSminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025HELIBOSS donated drones to the QuetzalC++ research team at INAOE.
• SynopsyscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Synopsys signed a collaboration agreement with INAOE to support semiconductor design education and training, providing software tools and expertise for the Electro Tlalli and KUTSARI programs.
• UNAM - Instituto de Astronomía (IA-UNAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of the Escuela de Astronomía Observacional para Estudiantes Latinoamericanos (Esaobela), running since 2008. UNAM's Instituto de Astronomía contributes telescope facilities (OAN 1m telescope at Tonantzintla) while INAOE contributes infrastructure and faculty. This collaboration has produced 10+ international journal publications from student school data.
• Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (AMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAOE participates in AMC's DELFÍN and JAGUAR summer research programs. The VICI summer program is coordinated with AMC, enabling students from across Mexico to conduct research at INAOE.
• Secihti Puebla (Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación del Estado de Puebla)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecihti Puebla collaborates with INAOE on the Electro Tlalli semiconductor training program and other science and technology initiatives for the state.
• International Astronomical Union (IAU) / Gran Telescopio Canarias ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAOE has access to 5% of observing time on the Gran Telescopio Canarias (10.4m optical segmented telescope in the Canary Islands, Spain) through the Mexican national time allocation process.
• Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) CollaborationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAOE participates in the global EHT collaboration that produced the first image of a black hole (M87*). INAOE's GTM telescope contributed to EHT observations. INAOE researchers received the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Physics as part of this collaboration.
• WEAVE Multi-Object Spectroscopic Survey CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAOE participates in the WEAVE astronomical survey project, contributing instrumentation and research capacity.
• Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration with BUAP for student exchange and joint activities. BUAP sponsors the VIAI summer research program. Dr. Carranza received his BSc from BUAP with Highest Honors (Cum Laude) in 2004.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Dr. Humberto Pérez (INAOE) and Dr. Rada Mihalcea (University of Michigan) on AI research. Artem Abzaliev, PhD student at University of Michigan, co-authored a paper published at LREC-COLING 2024 on using AI to decode dog barks, featured in Wired magazine.
• HAWC International CollaborationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAOE leads the construction and operation of the HAWC (High Altitude Water Cherenkov) gamma-ray observatory at Sierra Negra, in collaboration with US institutions. HAWC consists of 300 water tanks across 22 km², sensitive to gamma rays 100 GeV to 100 TeV.
• FEMEX Robótica (Mexican Robotics Federation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. José Martínez Carranza serves as President of FEMEX Robótica. Under his leadership, the federation organized RoboCup Mexican Open 2025 (1,000+ participants), founded MEXCIR (Mexican Conference on Intelligent Robots), and organized IMAV 2025.
• KUTSARI - Centro Nacional de Diseño de SemiconductoresflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Semiconductor Design Center headquartered at INAOE's Puebla site. KUTSARI is Mexico's national hub for semiconductor design, supporting the Electro Tlalli training program and related workforce development initiatives. Announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum as part of national semiconductor strategy.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CINVESTAV (Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados): Sister public research centre under CONAHCYT/Secihti with analogous graduate-only, multi-disciplinary research model across exact sciences. Closest structural peer in Mexico and direct competitor for federal research funding.
• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Mexico's flagship public university and largest research institution. Most direct peer — shares CONACHCYT/Secihti affiliation, operates astronomical observatories (Instituto de Astronomía), runs parallel graduate programmes, and competes with INAOE for federal science funding and faculty.
• CIMAT (Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas): Mexican CONAHCYT centre specialising in mathematics, computer science, and AI. Direct peer for INAOE's Coordinacíon de Ciencias Computacionales, with overlapping AI/pattern-recognition research lines and a common graduate-programme audience.
• Carnegie Institution for Science: US private research institution operating major observatories and Earth-science labs. Direct functional peer in observatory operation, instrumentation development, and astrophysics research output.
• CICESE (Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada): Mexican CONAHCYT public research centre focused on Earth sciences, optics, and electronics. Direct peer in the Mexican public research network with similar graduate programmes and applied instrumentation work.
• Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC): Spanish public research consortium operating the Gran Telescopio Canarias and managing Mexico's 5% observing-time share. Direct functional peer for INAOE's GTM and Guillermo Haro operations and a co-participant in joint international astronomy programmes.

Broad incumbents

• Max Planck Institute for Astronomy: German public research institute operating front-ranked observatories and instrumentation programmes. Broader, well-funded incumbent competing with INAOE for international observing-time prestige and high-impact astrophysics publications.
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech): Top-tier US research university with dominant astronomy (Palomar, Keck) and robotics programmes. Broad incumbent whose autonomous-systems and astrophysics work overlaps directly with INAOE's drone research and GTM participation.

Regional players

• Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP): Public university in Puebla with a strong physics/engineering faculty and co-sponsor of the VIAI programme. Closest regional peer; competes for STEM students in Puebla but does not match INAOE's national observatory footprint.

Others

• CONACYT / Secihti National Laboratories: Mexican government network of Centros Públicos de Investigación and Laboratorios Nacionales under the same parent ministry (Secihti). Ecosystem peer — provides funding and policy coordination; not a competitor but a structural counterparty for INAOE's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inaoe_mx
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/INAOEOficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/inaoe.oficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/inaoep.mx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Inaoe