Institute of Mathematics and its Applications

What Institute of Mathematics and its Applications does

The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is a UK-based professional and learned society for qualified and practising mathematicians, founded in 1964 and operating as a registered charity (number 1017777). Headquartered at Southend-on-Sea, the IMA serves approximately 5,000 members across the UK and Ireland, with a small staff of 11-50 employees. Its core offerings span four pillars: (1) professional chartership designations (Chartered Mathematician, Chartered Scientist, Chartered Mathematics Teacher) granted under a Royal Charter; (2) a publications portfolio including the IMA peer-reviewed journals and the Mathematics Today magazine published six times per year; (3) a national and regional events programme including the MIMAR conference series, branch meetings, workshops, and an Employers' Forum; and (4) member services such as the myIMA portal, small grants, an exponential mentoring scheme, a career development platform, and continuing professional development resources. The organization is governed by a Council and Executive Board and operates through seven regional branches and a network of special interest groups and committees.

The IMA's revenue is generated through three main streams: recurring membership subscriptions (with rates varying by grade), one-time event and conference fees (e.g., £290-£530 for MIMAR2027, £10 for a Python workshop), and publication subscriptions (£130 for an annual institutional Mathematics Today subscription covering six issues). Customer engagement is organized through a "horizontal" segmentation approach covering qualified mathematicians, student members, mathematics educators, and industry/business users, with go-to-market driven by events, content marketing, an email newsletter (e16plus for students), social media, and direct membership recruitment via the myIMA portal. The IMA distributes its services primarily through direct membership, regional branch activity, and institutional subscriptions to universities and libraries. Strategically, the IMA is an active partner with the London Mathematical Society and the Royal Statistical Society, hosts major conferences with university partners (University of Kent, University of Edinburgh, University of Leeds, University of Nottingham), and is moving into a more visible role on national R&D policy, including a June 2026 public statement on UK Science Funding Reductions and programming on generative AI in mathematics education.

Name

Institute of Mathematics and its Applications

Legal name

Institute of Mathematics and its Applications

Website

https://ima.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is a UK registered charity and Royal-Chartered learned society serving approximately 5,000 qualified and practising mathematicians through chartership designations, peer-reviewed journals, Mathematics Today magazine, an annual conference and workshop programme, regional branches, and member services including mentoring, grants, and CPD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online/Distance Education Quality & Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAK)

Keywords

• Professional mathematics society
• Mathematics chartership
• Academic publishing
• Mathematics conferences
• Professional membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Southend-on-sea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to publications, networking, professional development, and IMA resources
2. Event and Conference Fees: Registration fees for conferences, workshops, talks, and educational events
3. Publication Subscriptions: Mathematics Today journal subscriptions and back issues available to institutions and individuals; institutional subscriptions for 2026 volume at £130 for 6 issues

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The IMA is the professional and learned society for qualified and practising mathematicians in the UK. It operates as a registered charity selling annual memberships, conferring professional chartership designations (CMath, CSci, CMathTeach), publishing peer-reviewed journals and the Mathematics Today magazine, and running conferences, workshops, and branch events for its membership community.

Product overview

The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is a professional and learned society for qualified and practising mathematicians, serving approximately 5,000 members. Rather than a unified technology product, IMA operates as a membership organization offering a portfolio of services including publications (Mathematics Today magazine and IMA Journals), professional chartership designations (Chartered Mathematician, Chartered Scientist, Chartered Mathematics Teacher), conferences and events (including the MIMAR Conference Series), grants and awards programs, local branch networks, mentoring schemes, and career development resources through the myIMA member portal. These services support the advancement of mathematical knowledge, professional development, and the promotion of mathematical culture in the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mathematics Today
• IMA Journals
• Chartered Mathematician Designation
• Chartered Scientist Designation
• Chartered Mathematics Teacher
• MIMAR Conference Series
• IMA Membership
• Business Affiliates Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% of A-level maths entries were girls in 2024 (37,014 entries)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• London Mathematical Society (LMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint award of the Christopher Zeeman Medal for promotion of mathematics; joint Higher Education Teaching and Learning Workshop Series; collaborative advocacy for mathematics education and research
• Royal Statistical Society (RSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop series on higher education teaching and learning in mathematical sciences; collaborative professional development programs
• University of EdinburghmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for Rethinking Teaching and Learning workshop; collaboration with University of Glasgow on generative AI in mathematics education
• University of LeedsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for Making the Transition workshop supporting mathematicians moving into education research; School of Mathematics collaboration
• University of KentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for 14th IMA International Conference on Modelling in Industrial Maintenance and Reliability (MIMAR2027)
• University of NottinghammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConference Chair (Rasa Remenyte-Prescott) for MIMAR2027; research collaboration in maintenance and reliability modelling

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Mathematical Society: The largest US-based learned society for mathematics, offering journals, conferences, fellowships, and advocacy. Highly comparable in mission, services, and chartership-style recognition, though at materially greater scale.
• Royal Statistical Society: UK learned society and professional body for statisticians. RSS co-runs IMA's higher-education teaching and learning workshop series and serves a closely adjacent mathematical-sciences professional community with similar membership and chartership models.
• London Mathematical Society: The UK's principal learned society for mathematics, founded 1865. IMA and LMS jointly award the Christopher Zeeman Medal and co-host workshops, making LMS the most directly comparable peer in mission, scale, and UK-focused member base.
• Operational Research Society: UK learned society for OR and analytics professionals, with overlapping members in applied mathematics. Comparable in offering chartership, publications, and a UK branch network to practitioners in mathematical sciences.
• Edinburgh Mathematical Society: Scottish learned society promoting mathematical knowledge through lectures, publications, and education grants. Directly comparable in mission, though smaller in scale and with a primarily Scottish regional focus.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Society: The UK's national academy of sciences, with overlapping fellowship among senior IMA members. Operates a much broader science mandate, but is comparable in its UK charter-based learned-society model and government-advocacy role.
• Institute of Physics: UK chartered body for physicists with similar membership, chartership (CPhys), journals, branches, and education programmes. Broader in scope but operates an analogous learned-society model relevant to IMA's operating playbook.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: UK chartered body for chemical sciences offering membership, chartership (MRSC, FRSC), publications, events, and education programmes. Operates an established learned-society template comparable to IMA's broader structural design.

Others

• Clay Mathematics Institute: US-based private foundation funding mathematics research, prizes (Millennium Problems), and workshops. Not a membership society, but a peer in the global mathematics-promotion ecosystem that influences the same audience.
• European Mathematical Society: Pan-European umbrella organisation for mathematical societies, including IMA-adjacent bodies. Acts as a coordinating/advocacy layer rather than a direct competitor, but represents the next-tier governance structure above IMA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IMAmaths

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Institute of Mathematics and its Applications