FLAME RESEARCH FOUNDATION

What FLAME RESEARCH FOUNDATION does

The International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF) is a non-profit membership-based research foundation founded in 1948 and headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It operates as the global research hub for the industrial combustion community, facilitating access to and disseminating applied combustion research worldwide to approximately 150 member organizations across 21 countries. The foundation serves end-users and suppliers of fired heating equipment, process and system engineers, energy suppliers, R&D/technology developers, universities and research institutes, trade associations, and energy policy makers.

IFRF's core products and services are knowledge-based rather than technology-software based. Its principal offerings include the peer-reviewed Industrial Combustion Journal, the IFRF Handbook (online combustion reference), the European Facilities Database, and the Members' Exchange online platform. Since 1989, the foundation has organized Topic Oriented Technical Meetings (TOTeMs) — events featuring keynote talks, paper and poster presentations on combustion topics. The foundation also distributes the fortnightly Monday Night Mail newsletter, maintains a Solid Fuel Database for organizational members, and hosts regional events coordinated through 8 National Committees (American, French, German, Italian, Swedish, and others) plus an Associate Members Group covering countries including China, Brazil, India, and Australia. Upcoming commitments include the IFRF Conference 2027 (Houlgate, Normandy, France, May 2027) and an Industrial Combustion Training event (Stains, France, November 2026).

IFRF's revenue model is subscription-based, funded primarily through annual membership fees. Organizational tiers are priced at €2,200 (Large Company), €1,100 (SME), and €550 (Academic Institute); individual tiers are priced at €150 (Professional), €75 (Student/retiree), and €0 (Undergraduate). Additional revenue is generated from conference and training fees, technical events, and publications. The organization is led by Director Philip Sharman, Vice President Sébastien Caillat, and Administration & Communication Coordinator Lucy Straker, with a total headcount of fewer than 10 employees.

Name

FLAME RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Legal name

International Flame Research Foundation

Website

https://ifrf.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Flame Research Foundation (IFRF) is a non-profit membership-based research foundation founded in 1948 and headquartered in Sheffield, UK. It serves approximately 150 member organizations across 21 countries as the global research and networking hub for the industrial combustion community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from organizational and individual members. Organizational membership includes Large Company (€2200), SME (€1100), and Academic Institute (€550). Individual membership includes Professional (€150), Student/retiree (€75), and Undergrad (no charge).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFRF is a non-profit membership-based research foundation that advances industrial combustion research and disseminates technical information to its global membership. It provides peer-reviewed publications (Industrial Combustion Journal, IFRF Handbook), research databases (European Facilities, Solid Fuel), technical meetings (TOTeMs), conferences, training courses, and an online Members' Exchange platform connecting approximately 150 member organizations across 21 countries.

Product overview

IFRF (International Flame Research Foundation) is a research foundation and networking organization for the global combustion and energy community, not a technology product company. It offers a suite of knowledge-sharing services including the peer-reviewed Industrial Combustion Journal, TOTeMs (Topic Oriented Technical Meetings) for disseminating research, the IFRF Handbook reference resource, European Facilities Database for research collaboration, and the Members' Exchange online platform. Additional services include the Monday Night Mail newsletter, Solid Fuel Database (organizational members only), and periodic conferences and training programs. Membership spans approximately 150 organizations across 21 countries in power generation, petroleum refining, iron and steel, cement, glass, chemical manufacturing, and research institutes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOTeMs (Topic Oriented Technical Meetings): Technical meetings organized by IFRF and national committees to disseminate information on key topics for the combustion industry and beyond
• Industrial Combustion Journal

Products and services

• Industrial Combustion Journal
• TOTeMs (Topic Oriented Technical Meetings)
• IFRF Conference 2027
• Industrial Combustion Training

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• American Flame Research Committee (AFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational committee managing IFRF membership services in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sponsors open forums on applied combustion technology and research.
• French Flame Research Committee (Comité Français - CF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational committee coordinating French participation in IFRF activities and research collaboration.
• German Flame Research Committee (Deutsche Vereinigung für Verbrennungsforschung e.V. - DVV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational committee managing IFRF activities in Germany.
• Italian Flame Research Committee (Comitato Italiano - CI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational committee coordinating Italian participation in IFRF research network.
• Swedish Flame Research Committee (SFRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational committee managing Swedish participation in IFRF activities.
• Associate Members Group (AMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates IFRF membership services in regions not covered by National Committees, managing countries including China, Brazil, India, Australia.
• Politecnico di MilanoregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerTOTeM 50 (2023) hosted at Politecnico di Milano in Piacenza, Italy on 'Decarbonising combustion in hard-to-abate sectors'
• Air LiquideregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerTOTeM 48 (2022) hosted at Air Liquide facilities in Jouy-en-Josas, France on 'Hydrogen for decarbonisation'
• Gas- und Wärme-Institut Essen e.V. (GWI)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerTOTeM 44 (2017) hosted at GWI in Essen, Germany on 'Gaseous fuels for industry and power generation'

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): Larger-scale, member-funded energy R&D foundation serving the electric power sector. Similar subscription model and applied research focus, but at materially greater scale and with utility-only membership.
• International Energy Agency (IEA): Intergovernmental energy research and policy organization producing flagship reports, datasets, and technology roadmaps. Comparable role as a knowledge hub for the energy community, with a policy-driven rather than industry-membership funding model.
• International Gas Union (IGU): Global membership organization representing the natural gas value chain with research, advocacy, and triennial World Gas Conference programming. Comparable community-led, subscription-funded model across an overlapping industrial base.
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): Large engineering professional society offering publications, conferences, codes & standards, and member benefits. Overlaps with IFRF on engineering community and technical publishing, though at much broader scope and scale.

Others

• Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA): Membership-based environmental and emissions professional organization with conferences, publications, and technical committees. Adjacent to IFRF through overlapping themes of combustion emissions, air quality, and industrial EHS research.

Direct peers

• American Flame Research Committee (AFRC): U.S. national flame research committee jointly coordinating with IFRF and serving North American combustion researchers and industrial members. Operates as IFRF's regional counterpart for the Americas.
• Gas- und Wärme-Institut Essen (GWI): German institute for gas and heat research that has hosted IFRF TOTeMs and conducts applied combustion and gaseous fuels research for industry. Closely comparable mission and member ecosystem to IFRF's German Committee.
• Combustion Institute: Global professional organization dedicated to combustion science research, publication, and conferences. Closest direct peer to IFRF in mission, community-led GTM, and member-driven research dissemination model, though it focuses more on academic combustion science while IFRF emphasizes industrial applications.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IFRFOffice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz59W9V78Wa6j2441iZ--vg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-flame-research-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 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 FLAME RESEARCH FOUNDATION