Over the last few years the Institution has made several acquisitions in companies that specialise in learning and development for engineers. These investments will both ensure the financial stability and meet the objective of improving the world through engineering. Another commercial activity we have invested in is the Venue & Room hire business. The home of the Institution, One Birdcage Walk, acts as a hub for hosting local member activities, meetings, conferences and events, and as a commercial venue for hire. The Institution will continue to invest in its learning and development as well as venue hire activity, and the long term plan is for these commercial activities to contribute an increasing proportion of our revenues. The key objective in improving the financial position of the Institution is to provide secure financial underpinnings to deliver the Learned Society activities to members. The business model continues to be that the Institution runs a number of commercial ventures which are pertinent to its core values to help subsidise the charitable purpose
On 4 July 2013, the Institution announced the acquisition of the internationally recognised non-destructive testing samples company, Sonaspection.
This acquisition marked an important step for the Institution’s contributions not only to the Non- destructive Industry, but as a catalyst to enable new standards and techniques across many important industries. We believe Non-destructive testing and flawed specimens are vital to an extremely broad range of engineering sectors and to the institutions’s members.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was formed in Birmingham in 1847 and One Birdcage Walk was officially opened as the Institution's headquarters in May 1899. Located just minutes from the Houses of Parliament, Horse Guards Parade and HM Treasury, we are conveniently situated just a 5 minutes walk from Westminster and St James's Park tube stations and a short walk from Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo mainline stations. The building which overlooks St James's Park is regarded as one of the finest examples of traditional architecture in Westminster. One Birdcage Walk provides you with modern facilities located in a unique building in a prestigious central London location.
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Our lines are open Monday to Friday, 09:15–17:30 GMT. We are closed on public holidays.