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INCOSE UK - A History

INCOSE UK was formed in September 1994 when a group of around 35 systems engineers met in the Lefroy lecture theatre at Shrivenham and decided to form the first Chapter of NCOSE (the National Council on Systems Engineering) to be established outside North America. In doing so we put the ‘I’ into INCOSE, and became the model for other international chapters throughout Europe.

Much has happened since that inaugural meeting including:

INCOSE UK logo
1999 INCOSE UK hosts the INCOSE International Symposium in Brighton with over 700 attendees from 20 countries.
2002 The UK Advisory Board (UKAB) is formed with BAE Systems, Loughborough University, University College London and Thales being the founder members. Since then the UKAB has grown to include over 30 member.
2007 INCOSE UK becomes a Professional Affiliate of the Engineering Council. A first step on the road to becoming a Professional Engineering Institution.
2007 The first if the Z Guides are launched – mini guides to various systems engineering aspects. There are now 15 of these mini guides in the series.
2010 First Annual Systems Engineering Conference (ASEC), bringing together the Spring Conference and the Autumn Assembly into a single event.
2011 INCOSE UK sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) to allow INCOSE UK members to become professionally registered as Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech).
2012 Following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with INCOSE, UK members can apply for and maintain Systems Engineering Certification (ASEP, CSEP and ESEP) through INCOSE UK.
2014 INCOSE UK celebrates its 20th anniversary at the ASEC held at the RAF Museum, Cosford.
2015 Think Engineer is published, INCOSE UK’s first third party publication.
2016 Jon Holt’s and Simon Perry’s The Absolute Beginners Guide to Model-Based Systems Engineering is published as the first in the “Don’t Panic!” series. The series has now grown to include nine publications and continues to grow.
2017 The Early Careers Forum was formed providing a home for early career systems engineers within INCOSE UK along with a voice on the Council.
2019 INCOSE UK announces its intention to become the Institute for Systems Engineering (IfSE).
2019 INCOSE UK celebrates its Silver Jubilee at the ASEC held at the Royal Armouries, Leeds.
2020 INCOSE UK becomes a Professional Engineering Institution licensed by the Engineering Council to assess candidates for inclusion on the national register of professional engineers and technicians as Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech).
2020 The INCOSE UK publications portfolio continues to grow with the release of ‘Implementing MBSE into your business – The Trinity Approach’, the first book in a new series Advanced Application in Systems Engineering.
2023 The INCOSE UK membership vote to go forward with transition to become IfSE.
2023 Companies House register the Institute for Systems Engineering, a major step the in the transition of INCOSE UK to IfSE.
2024 INCOSE UK celebrates its 30th anniversary at the ASEC held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
2025 INCOSE UK completes its transition to become the Institute for Systems Engineering.