Introducing the InstMC
Today’s InstMC is an international network of professional engineers and scientists covering the measurement, automation and control field, increasingly collaborating with related organisations. We aim to promote high standards of professional competence, to inform and support our members in their careers, to provide a bridge between academic research and industrial practice, to encourage students into engineering and science, to engage with the wider public and to inform government policy.
The Institute of Measurement and Control is recognised by Royal Charter as the professional body for scientists and engineers working in measurement, automation and control. Founded in 1944, our members’ original priority was to maintain the national infrastructure and support wartime logistics. During the post-war reconstruction years, attention shifted to developing new major infrastructure programmes including nuclear power, oil and gas, the transport network and major industrial and chemical facilities.
Our members are still involved in all these areas, but the digital age has opened a new sphere of involvement in the area of sensors linked to intelligence. This includes the Internet of Things, cyber security, smart cities and transport networks, driverless cars, personal health monitoring and astronomical exploration.
Special Interest Groups
We have a range of Special Interest Groups that organise conferences, seminars and training courses on subjects in our field, which are increasingly becoming available on-line. Special Interest Groups also contribute to national programmes in areas such as standards and training, and join with other organisations to provide expert input to inform government policy. Each Special Interest Group has a panel of volunteer members and external experts that decides its programme of events and activities, and establishes working groups for particular projects. Our members are encouraged to join one or more special interest groups to be kept aware of what is happening, and maybe to take part in planning and organising activities. You can find details of Special Interest Groups here.
National and International Local Sections
Much of the Institute’s activity takes place at regional level, through the work of Local sections organised and run by volunteer members. Local Sections organise programmes of events including lectures, training courses, works visits and social activities. They engage with students studying relevant courses at local universities and they help early-career members through mentoring. For many members the networking opportunities of a local section in touch with industry and academic centres is a key resource. You can find details of our Local Sections here.
Professional registration and accreditation
Membership of the InstMC is a recognised indication of professional competence, and candidates have to demonstrate that they meet the requirements covering education, experience and responsibility. Our Professional Registration Committee oversees the routes that lead to membership, and reviews individual cases. More information on membership can be found here.
Most members also choose to be registered with the UK Engineering Council or Science Council, by whom we are licensed to approve registration applications for Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist, as well as Incorporated Engineers and Technician Engineers.
Members maintain their technical awareness through an individual programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which they document. We provide an application on our website, mycareerpath, to help with this, and we conduct periodic peer-review audits of CPD records and feedback advice to members.
The Institute recognises a number of university and college courses and company training schemes through a process of accreditation and audits that we operate. InstMC accreditation indicates that a course meets the educational requirements for membership and for Engineering Council registration. You can find a list of InstMC accredited courses here.
Communications and Promotion
The Institute serves its members and the wider public through an active marketing programme that draws attention to the importance of measurement, automation and control in people’s daily lives and in our national policies. We aim to publish reports, policy statements and press releases where appropriate, and we have individual expert spokesmen and women who represent the Institute to the press and the media. We also engage with government by responding to calls for evidence and contributing to joint reports from the engineering profession.
The Institute publishes two peer-reviewed scientific journals: Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control and Measurement and Control, both of which are available on line free of charge to members. We also distribute a magazine-style periodical, Precision, that is sent to all members and is accessible on line.
Increasingly we are using social media blogs, webinars and other interactive platforms to engage with members and the public.
Charitable activities
The Institute is a registered charity that promotes the public benefits of measurement, automation and control by its educational and special interest group activities, its regulation of professional standards and technical competence and its engagement with the wider public in information, education and policy matters. You can read our annual report to the charity commission here
Companion Company Scheme
Over 100 commercial companies of all sizes in the measurement, automation and control area belong to the InstMC Companion Company Scheme. Membership offers companies the opportunity to demonstrate their association with the Institute and its commitment to professional excellence. Member companies are listed on our website, and promoted in the Institute’s publications and may use the Institute's logo. They also receive copies of our magazine Precision and have on-line access to other publications including our technical on-line library of guidelines and practitioners' papers on measurement and control applications. They are encouraged to engage with our Special Interest Groups and with our Local Section activities.
Awards
The InstMC Prizes and Awards committee recognises those who have made outstanding contributions to our field by presenting annual awards. Award winners are often invited to give a talk outlining their work and we are starting to make these available on line in the form of a library of distinguished lectures.
We also recognise the efforts of our many hugely committed volunteers who contribute regionally and nationally to our activities. We hold an annual President’s evening where awards are presented to some of those who have offered exceptional services.
You can find full details of the awards we make and a list of past recipients here
Members are invited to nominate recipients for any of these awards at any time, by sending an email or letter to the chair of the Prizes and Awards committee
Collaborations and Partnerships
Internationally, InstMC is the UK representative organisation in the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO) and in the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). We maintain bilateral links with a number of sister international organisations including ISA in the United States.
Within the UK the Institute collaborates with other Professional Engineering Institutions and participates in the activities of numerous bodies including the Royal Academy of Engineering; the British Standards Institute; the laboratories of the National Measurement System; related Trade Associations including GAMBICA and BMTA; and our partner city livery company, the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers.