As a consequence of this country’s industrial transformation and the need to increase technology related to the development of the petroleum, basic petro-chemical, derived petro-chemical and chemical industries, on August 23, 1965, the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP) was created.

The decree, published on the Official Gazette on August 26, 1965, establishes the following as the objectives of the IMP:

1. Basic and applied scientific research.
2. Db. Development of basic and applied research disciplines;
3. Researches’ formation;
4. Dissemination of scientific developments and their application in petroleum technology;
5. Training of workers that may perform tasks at a sub-professional level, in the petroleum, basic petro-chemical, derived petro-chemical and chemical industries. At close to four decades, the IMP continues to achieve the goals that gave life to it.

Research and technological center for the petroleum industry

The IMP was born by the initiative of the then Pemex’s general director, Jesus Reyes Heroles, who recognized that planning and development of the petroleum industry have to be congruent with the needs of a mixed economy. Because of this, he considered that it was necessary to promote petroleum research and form human resources that could boost their own technology development.

Before this demand, the federal government decided to create a “decentralized body, of public interest and primarily scientific, technical, educational and cultural body, with a judicial personality and its own patrimony, whose main objectives would be the quest for scientific and technological independence in the petroleum industry”.

In this manner, since 1965, the Mexican Petroleum Institute has contributed to the country’s development, through its human resources and the creation of its own technology.