Having just completed its Golden Jubilee year, it was only fitting that 2007 was a record-breaker for the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

Celebrating fifty years since the granting of its Royal Charter, IChemE membership reached an all-time high, including huge growth in international membership in 2007. The Institution now has over 27,500 members in 113 countries. Back in the UK – where the Institution has offices in both London and Warwickshire, the chemical engineering community celebrated a record intake of students choosing to study the subject at university.
Sustained efforts are being made to extend IChemE’s international outreach. The Institution has offices in both Melbourne, Australia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr David Brown, chief executive at IChemE, anticipates further regional offices opening in the future: “Further international development remains a key priority for IChemE,” he says.
“We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineer (IIChE) designed to bring benefits to members of both IChemE and the IIChE. We also have a strong relationship with the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), as well as other science and engineering bodies.”
IChemE representatives were in Dubai last year to attend the Chem Middle East show and visited Bahrain in January to exhibit at the Gulf Industry show. “We believe in sharing knowledge and encouraging best practice in chemical and process engineering,” said Dr Brown.
“The Bahrain event was very useful for IChemE. We were able to showcase our products and services to a new audience and most significantly, to senior figures within key companies and industries,” said Matt Stalker, press and external relations officer, IChemE.
 “For an Institution like IChemE, keen to further extend our international outreach, the event was an ideal opportunity to forge stronger links and develop a better understanding of industry in the Gulf.”
Attending events like the Gulf Industry show and Chem Middle East has taken IChemE to a new audience, as well as giving current members in the Gulf the chance to meet members of the IChemE team. Delegates in Bahrain were particularly interested in IChemE’s short courses and training, as well as the Institution’s new International Forms of Contract series, designed for use throughout the process industries.
IChemE Forms of Contract have been used throughout the process industries in the UK since the 1960s and Dr Brown described the international versions as a natural extension to the series: “Our work mustn’t be bound by geography. As an international institution, we’re keen to represent and meet the needs of our members wherever they live or work.
“Chemical engineering is taking place all over the world. Consequently, IChemE must have a global presence. In the coming years, as the impact of climate change increasingly impacts our lives, the work of chemical engineers will become increasingly relevant and high profile. After all, it will be chemical engineers who must share the responsibility with scientists in finding the solutions,” concluded Dr Brown.
In October 2008, IChemE will be staging ChemEng 08, a three-day global forum for professional engineers and scientists. The event – the largest ever staged by IChemE – will include technical sessions across all aspects of chemical and process engineering, poster sessions, CV writing workshops, and a recruitment fair and exhibition.