Our vision: improving the world through engineering

Our mission

To be the recognised authority in mechanical engineering supporting a global engineering community.

How the Institution of Mechanical Engineers is helping to improve the world through engineering

Throughout the constantly evolving work of mechanical engineers, one Institution has been at the heart of the world’s most important and dynamic industries since its formation in 1847. Today, working hard to support our over 115,000 members globally, the Institution is the market leader among professional engineering bodies. We are a registered charity and our goal is to represent and reflect the engineering profession: encouraging professional registration and long-term career development.

As a global community of mechanical engineers represented in over 140 countries, the Institution is the largest network of mechanical engineering knowledge, skill and opportunity in the world. With agrowing membership based outside the UK, we develop and maintain key partnerships with leading multi-national employers to ensure their technical workforces are trained to the highest standard. By equipping engineers with the right skills, knowledge and experience to help them develop, we contribute to strengthening the world’s leading companies.

We encourage high profile education initiatives which inspire the next generation to work in engineering, and get engineers featured in the global media and heard by government.

We are committed to ensuring that the views of engineers are well represented in the public domain. Thanks to its internationally recognised thought leadership around energy, climate change and future transport, the global press trusts the Institution as a source of expert opinion. With a proven track record for understanding the needs of government, our expert knowledge is sought by politicians to shape policy.

Strategic Objectives

Our strategic objectives are:

Develop engineers

  • Be a leading PEI for professional registration.

  • Provide world class products and services to engineers, and those engaged with engineering

  • Ensure employer relevance

  • Support contemporary ways of working and cover a broad range of disciplines

  • Offer new, innovative forms of membership that support engineering.

Promote engineering

  • Collaborate with other key bodies to influence education policy

  • Enable the next generation of engineers to be smarter, quicker and wider skilled than ever before

  • Recognise past achievements by linking them to our future goals and aspirations.

Inform opinion

  • Be the trusted advisor to the media to drive proactive and reactive media coverage

  • Be the trusted advisor to employers, governments, academic bodies, and other institutions

  • Form, and inform opinion in the engineering arena.

Encourage innovation

  • Act as an impulse to inventions that will be useful to the world
  • Continue to encourage research, innovation and entrepreneurship

  • IMechE continues to support the Stephenson Fund.


Related links

Find out more about our governance

Read our Annual Review

Ask a question

If you would like to find out more about our vision or strategic objectives contact Joan Gibbins.