The Combustion Institute

What The Combustion Institute does

The Combustion Institute is an international, non-profit, educational and scientific society founded in 1954 at the University of Pittsburgh during the Fifth International Symposium on Combustion. The organization serves as the premier global body dedicated to advancing combustion science and technology, with membership exceeding 6,000 combustion scientists and engineers distributed across 36 international sections spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Its primary constituents are academic researchers and industrial practitioners from over 80 countries who participate in the dissemination of combustion research.

The Institute's core offerings center on three pillars: (1) peer-reviewed scientific publications, including the flagship monthly journal Combustion and Flame and the biennial Proceedings of The Combustion Institute, both distributed via ScienceDirect; (2) the biennial International Symposium on Combustion (ISOC), which serves as the world congress for the field with over 1,200 accepted presentations, scheduled for its 41st edition in Kyoto, Japan in July 2026; and (3) an awards and recognition program encompassing the Bernard Lewis Gold Medal, Alfred C. Egerton Gold Medal, Ya. B. Zeldovich Gold Medal, Jürgen Warnatz Gold Medal, Silver Combustion Medal, Fellows of The Combustion Institute, and the Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Researcher Award. Complementary educational and engagement programs include Combustion Institute Summer Schools hosted at universities worldwide and the CI Town Hall Series distributed via YouTube. The Institute operates technology infrastructure through partnerships with MemberLeap (membership portal), Microsoft CMT (symposium paper management), and Benchmark Email (newsletters).

Revenue is derived from individual membership dues on an annual billing cadence, journal subscriptions and licensing via ScienceDirect, symposium registration and sponsorship, and contributions supporting the affiliated journals (Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Combustion Science and Technology, Combustion Theory and Modeling, Applications in Energy and Combustion Science). The organization is headquartered at 5001 Baum Boulevard, Suite 644, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, and is governed by a Board of Directors. There is no parent company, no venture capital or private equity backing, and no indication of external ownership. The Institute does not pursue revenue maximization but rather reinvests into the scientific community through publications, events, stipends, and recognition programs.

Name

The Combustion Institute

Legal name

The Combustion Institute

Website

https://combustioninstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Combustion Institute is a 70-year-old international non-profit scientific society that advances combustion science through peer-reviewed journals (Combustion and Flame, Proceedings of The Combustion Institute), the biennial International Symposium on Combustion, and awards programs, serving 6,000+ scientists and engineers across 36 global sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees supporting the organization's operations, publications, and events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Combustion Institute is an international non-profit scientific society that advances combustion science and technology through peer-reviewed journal publishing (Combustion and Flame; Proceedings of The Combustion Institute), the biennial International Symposium on Combustion, summer schools, regional section activities, and a professional awards program. Its core deliverable to the global combustion research community is structured knowledge dissemination, professional networking, and recognition of research excellence.

Product overview

The Combustion Institute operates as a scientific society rather than a commercial product company. Its portfolio consists of peer-reviewed journals (Combustion and Flame and Proceedings of The Combustion Institute), the biennial International Symposium on Combustion (ISOC) world congress, Combustion Institute-Summer Schools educational programs, the CI Town Hall Series virtual discussions, a prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in combustion research, and a network of 35-36 regional sections worldwide. These offerings serve the international combustion research community through publication, conferences, education, and professional recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Symposium on Combustion (ISOC) The biennial world congress of The Combustion Institute, uniting scientists, professors, students, and industrial practitioners from over 80 countries to share research on combustion science and applications, featuring over 1,200 accepted presentations.
• Combustion and Flame A monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research, applications, and reviews covering all aspects of combustion science and technology.
• Proceedings of The Combustion Institute A biennial peer-reviewed scientific journal containing selected papers from the International Symposium on Combustion.
• Combustion Institute-Summer Schools Educational programs hosted at universities worldwide providing training and professional development for early-career researchers in combustion science.
• CI Town Hall Series Virtual discussion series featuring expert panels on topics such as best practices for submitting to CI journals, with recordings available on YouTube.
• CI Sections Program A network of 35-36 regional sections worldwide providing local networking, conferences, and professional development activities for members.
• CI Awards Program Awards program recognizing outstanding contributions to combustion science, including gold medals (Bernard Lewis, Alfred C. Egerton, Ya. B. Zeldovich, Jürgen Warnatz), the Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Researcher Award, the Silver Combustion Medal, the Bernard Lewis Fellowship, and other recognitions.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Progress in Energy and Combustion ScienceminorOthersAffiliated journal covering all aspects of energy and combustion science
• Combustion Science and TechnologyminorOthersAffiliated journal in the combustion field
• Combustion Theory and ModelingminorOthersAffiliated journal covering theoretical and modeling aspects of combustion
• Applications in Energy and Combustion ScienceminorOthersAffiliated journal on applications of energy and combustion science
• ScienceDirectcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform hosting CI's journals Combustion and Flame and Proceedings of The Combustion Institute
• MemberLeapcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite platform powering the member portal and website functionality
• Microsoft CMTcoreTechnology or IntegrationConference management system used for submitting symposium papers and managing the International Symposium on Combustion

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Physical Society (APS): Premier physics professional society operating a near-identical model of peer-reviewed flagship journals, large annual meetings, member-driven sections, awards, and international outreach — the closest structural analogue to The Combustion Institute within physical sciences.
• SAE International: Mobility engineering society hosting peer-reviewed journals (including SAE International Journal of Engines) and major conferences (SAE World Congress); engine combustion is core SAE content, putting it in direct competition for combustion researchers and industrial practitioners.
• Materials Research Society (MRS): Specialized scientific society focused on materials research with peer-reviewed journals, large multi-session meetings, and member benefits — closely comparable in scale, specialization, and event-driven engagement model.
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): Major mechanical engineering society running journals, conferences, membership, and recognition programs; combustion and thermal sciences are core ASME domains, making it a directly comparable engineering society peer with broader scope.
• American Chemical Society (ACS): Long-established scientific society with a comprehensive portfolio of peer-reviewed journals, national meetings (including large fall/spring congresses), membership tiers, and an awards program — directly comparable in operating model and revenue mix to CI's dues/journal/conference trinity.
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC): Global scientific union publishing journals and supporting international conferences and divisions; comparable international, member-supported structure with overlapping chemistry-of-combustion research community.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): Aerospace professional society publishing multiple peer-reviewed journals, hosting conferences, and running member programs; combustion-for-propulsion is a core AIAA domain, making audience and publishing economics directly comparable to CI.
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE): Chemical engineering professional society with journal publications, annual meetings, technical sections, and awards — comparable business model and overlapping combustion/energy research community that competes for similar members and authors.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): Largest technical professional organization globally; operates a much broader portfolio of journals, conferences, and membership programs in electrical/computing fields that occasionally intersect combustion instrumentation and energy systems — comparable business model at far greater scale.

Emerging players

• International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE): International scientific association centered on hydrogen energy — a discipline directly adjacent to clean combustion and e-fuels that competes for overlapping researchers, sponsors, and journal submissions in the emerging fuel-economy space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/C3xKYFF4xzk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/combustion-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Combustion Institute