Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE)

What Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE) does

IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1922 and headquartered in Rugby, England, operating as the global professional membership body for chemical, biochemical and process engineers. It serves over 32,000 members across more than 30 countries via seven membership grades ranging from free Student membership through Honorary Fellow, and operates regional offices in the UK, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and New Zealand. Under Royal Charter governance, IChemE is the licensed awarding body for the Chartered Chemical Engineer designation, anchoring its position as the profession's primary credentialing authority.

Its core offerings span four interlocking revenue streams: membership subscriptions; professional training and accreditation (process safety, sustainable process engineering, hydrogen safety, human factors, plus accreditation of university degree programmes and employer graduate training schemes); events and conferences (the Hazards Process Safety Conference, ChemEngConnect, the AIChE-co-hosted Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference 2026, and the IChemE Awards across Global, Australasia, Malaysia, and Singapore regions); and publications including The Chemical Engineer magazine, Loss Prevention Bulletin, peer-reviewed journals, AccessEngineering handbooks, Knovel virtual library, and the internationally recognised Forms of Contract series. Knowledge resources are delivered through the IChemE Safety Centre, Sustainability Hub, and IChemE Connect online community, supported by a portfolio of Special Interest Groups, regional Member Groups, and a National Early Careers Group.

Commercially, IChemE monetises through annual subscription fees by membership grade, course and conference registration fees, publication subscriptions, accreditation service fees paid by universities and employers, and sponsorship of awards programmes. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer membership sign-up, employer and university partnership channels for accreditation, event-driven engagement, and community-led activation. Strategic direction in 2026 is signalled by an 85th Presidential transition to Dr Ollie Folayan MBE, the AIChE hydrogen partnership, the DiscoverChemEng talent-pipeline campaign, and formal AI-use disclosure guidelines governing membership applications.

Name

Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE)

Legal name

Institution of Chemical Engineers

Website

http://www.icheme.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IChemE is a UK-registered charity and Royal-Chartered professional membership body for chemical, biochemical and process engineers, serving over 32,000 members globally through credentials, training, publications, conferences, and accreditation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Engineering Membership

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Training (EDAGANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory (OSHA/HSE/GxP) Certifications (EDAAANAJ), EMS Training & Competency Development (EUAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Professional engineering membership
• Chemical engineering accreditation
• Process safety training
• Professional registration services
• Engineering publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Rugby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual subscription fees from members across seven grades (Student, Affiliate, Associate, Member, Chartered Member, Fellow, Honorary). Student membership is free; other grades have annual charges.
2. Training and Courses: Revenue from process safety training courses, sustainable process engineering courses, distillation courses, hydrogen safety training, human factors training, in-company training, and on-demand training.
3. Events and Conferences: Registration fees for conferences including ChemEngConnect, Hazards Process Safety Conference, Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference, and local member group events.
4. Publications: Revenue from The Chemical Engineer magazine, journals, books, and technical publications. AccessEngineering subscription service provides online engineering handbooks and resources.
5. Accreditation Services: Fees for accreditation of university degree programmes and company graduate training schemes.
6. Awards and Sponsorship: Sponsorship revenue from IChemE Awards programmes including Global Awards, Australasia Awards, Malaysia Awards, and Singapore Awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

IChemE is a registered charity and global professional membership institution for chemical, biochemical and process engineers, offering seven membership grades (Student to Fellow), Chartered Chemical Engineer registration, accredited training courses, peer-reviewed publications, international awards, conferences and accreditation services for university degree programmes and corporate graduate training schemes.

Product overview

IChemE is a professional membership institution (registered charity) for chemical engineers, not a software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of membership services, professional development, publications, conferences, and accreditation programmes. Core offerings include membership grades (Student through Fellow), professional registrations (Chartered Chemical Engineer), training courses (process safety, sustainable engineering, hydrogen safety), publications (The Chemical Engineer magazine, Loss Prevention Bulletin, AccessEngineering, Knovel), awards programmes (Global Awards, Australasia Awards, Young Engineers Awards), conferences (Hazards Process Safety Conference, ChemEngConnect), and accreditation services for degree programmes and graduate training schemes. The organization connects members through IChemE Connect online community and provides resources via the Sustainability Hub and Safety Centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Chemical Engineer: IChemE's flagship magazine covering chemical engineering news and developments.
• IChemE Connect
• IChemE Awards
• IChemE Safety Centre
• Sustainability Hub
• DiscoverChemEng

Products and services

• Professional Membership Services Seven membership grades from Student to Fellow with annual subscriptions, professional registrations including Chartered Chemical Engineer (CChem) and FIChemE, continuing professional development (CPD) tracking and post-nominal recognition for individual chemical engineers.
• Training Courses Professional learning opportunities covering process safety training, sustainable process engineering courses, process and plant operations, distillation, hydrogen safety, human factors, in-company training and on-demand virtual courses for chemical and process engineers.
• IChemE Awards Annual awards programmes including IChemE Global Awards, IChemE Australasia Awards, IChemE Malaysia Awards, IChemE Singapore Awards and Young Engineers Awards for Innovation and Sustainability (YEAIS), recognising excellence across the profession.
• The Chemical Engineer (TCE) Magazine Flagship publication of IChemE providing news, technical articles, analysis and industry developments for chemical, biochemical and process engineering professionals.
• AccessEngineering Online subscription library of engineering handbooks, textbooks, explanatory videos and interactive tools delivered to engineering professionals for technical reference.
• Knovel Virtual Library Virtual library providing searchable technical reference content, data and analytical tools for chemical and process engineers.
• Loss Prevention Bulletin (LPB) Technical publication and bulletin series focused on loss prevention and process safety for chemical and process industry professionals, with current issues and archive.
• IChemE Journals Peer-reviewed academic and professional journals covering chemical engineering research, applications and developments.
• Forms of Contract Internationally acclaimed series of model forms of agreement (contracts) developed to reflect best practice for project delivery in the process industries, sold to organisations undertaking process engineering projects.
• Hazards Process Safety Conference Annual conference focused on major hazard management and process safety best practice for chemical, process and related industry professionals.
• Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference 2026 Co-hosted conference with AIChE focused on practical, evidence-based implementation of hydrogen as an industrial decarbonisation solution for industry leaders, policymakers and technology developers.
• Degree Programme Accreditation International accreditation of university chemical, biochemical and process engineering degree programmes, benchmarking programmes against recognised quality standards and providing graduates with a pathway to professional membership.
• Accredited Company Training Schemes (ACTS) Accreditation of employer-run graduate training schemes (ACTS) and approval of EngTech training programmes, enabling companies to develop early career chemical engineers towards Chartered status.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 7,000 young people inspired through Virtual Work Experience programme
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Strategic partnership for the Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference 2026. IChemE and AIChE are co-hosting the conference on 14-15 October 2026 in Manchester, UK, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and technology developers to advance practical hydrogen implementation for industrial decarbonisation.
• Institute of Knowledge Transfer (IKT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE joined IKT as an organisational sponsor member. CEO Dr David Brown also registered as an individual member in 2009.
• European Federation of Chemical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE plays an active role in regional chemical engineering federations including the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, representing the profession at European level.
• Australian and New Zealand Federation of Chemical EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE plays an active role in the Australian and New Zealand Federation of Chemical Engineers, a key regional federation for the profession.
• Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE plays an active role in the Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering, representing the profession across the Asia-Pacific region.
• World Chemical Engineering CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE is a member of the World Chemical Engineering Council, the global body representing chemical engineering professionals worldwide.
• Engineering the Future AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE works within the Engineering the Future alliance to present a coherent voice to policymakers on behalf of chemical engineers and the wider engineering community. The alliance brings together engineering institutions to influence government policy on industry, education, and infrastructure.
• Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE partners with IIChE for international chemical engineering exchange programme, providing young chemical engineers with opportunities to participate in free international exchange.
• Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (JCEC) Western AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IChemE Western Australia member group committee joins with Engineers Australia WA Chemical Branch to form the Joint Chemical Engineering Committee (JCEC) Western Australia, which organises events, support and promotion.
• Joint Victorian Chemical Engineering Committee (JVCEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IChemE Victoria member group committee works closely with committees from the Chemical College of Engineers Australia to deliver events via the Joint Victorian Chemical Engineering Committee (JVCEC).
• Chemical Engineers Benevolent FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIChemE may share member information with the Chemical Engineers Benevolent Fund (Registered Charity 221601) where an application has been made to the Fund for support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): A much larger US-rooted engineering professional body operating in adjacent mechanical and process engineering domains. ASME competes for engineering talent engagement, training revenue, and global brand authority in overlapping process industry employer partnerships.
• Engineers Australia: Australia's national engineering body, partnering with IChemE via the Joint Chemical Engineering Committee in Victoria and Western Australia. Engineers Australia offers broader engineering registration that competes for the same Australian chemical engineering member base.
• Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC): The UK chartered body for chemists with adjacent but broader scope across chemical sciences. RSC competes for members in chemistry-adjacent fields and operates similar publications, accreditation, and events programmes that overlap IChemE's process industry audience.

Direct peers

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE): The US-based global professional body for chemical engineers, the closest direct peer to IChemE. AIChE and IChemE co-host the Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Conference 2026, reflecting overlapping member bases, training programmes, publications, and accreditation authority for chemical engineering professionals.
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET): One of the world's largest engineering professional bodies, with overlapping UK training, publications, and Chartered Engineer registration offerings. IET competes for the same UK member pool and employer partnership revenue as IChemE.
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE): A fellow UK Royal Charter engineering body offering comparable membership grades, training, publications, and Chartered Engineer registration, providing direct competition for engineering professional recognition and employer services in the UK.
• Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan (SCEJ): The leading Japanese professional society for chemical engineers, with overlapping membership, conferences, and publications serving an analogous national/professional remit. SCEJ is a peer through the Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering.
• Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE): IChemE's established international exchange partner for young chemical engineers. IIChE is the Indian counterpart for chemical engineering membership, accreditation, and events, representing a peer national body in a major emerging engineering market.

Regional players

• DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology): Germany's leading non-profit for chemical engineering and biotechnology, offering comparable technical congresses, working parties, and training. DECHEMA serves a primarily DACH-region audience and overlaps with IChemE on process industry and biotechnology content.

Others

• European Federation of Chemical Engineering (EFCE): IChemE holds an active seat in EFCE, the umbrella body for European chemical engineering societies. EFCE is an ecosystem peer and standards partner rather than a direct competitor, influencing cross-border working parties, conferences, and recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/icheme
• Facebookfacebook.com/icheme1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/74625
• Xx.com/IChemE

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE)