The Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry is situated in its own modern facility in the tree-lined campus of the Ateneo de Manila University. PIPAC, as it is more commonly known, is a name that has become synonymous with competence and reliability in the field of industrial chemistry.

Starting 1965 individual faculty members of the department of chemistry of the Ateneo de Manila University began to receive requests from government agencies and industrial firms for assistance in solving a wide variety of chemical problems. These ranged from product quality control, raw material research and by-product utilization, pollution monitoring and control, to training of industry personnel. In time these requests for assistance increased in volume.

Due to the rising demand for chemical services, the need to set up a separate entity to provide essential chemical services to developing chemical and agricultural industries in the Philippines became gradually clear. Envisioned was an institute that would be independent of, yet closely associated with, the Ateneo de Manila University to enable it to cooperated with the chemistry department.

To advise on the concept, a visit by Professor Rudolf Tschesche, Institute Director of the Chemistry Institute of Bonn University, Germany, was arranged in 1968, supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. A few months later, Dr. Guenter Wulff, also of Bonn University's Chemistry Institute, came for a four month research sabbatical at the Ateneo.

The Insitute was formally founded in 1972. Originally called the Philippine Institute of Industrial Chemistry (PIIC), the newly formed organization was remain in 1975 as the Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC) to convey the full scope of its burgeoning operation. In January 1973 PIPAC's Articles of Incorporation were registed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Its by-laws were registered on May 2 of the same year.

By then PIPAC was a small but self-supporting concern, operation in a rented roon in the University premises. The growth of the Institute was made possible by two major grants.

The Grant from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
A proposal requesting for major equipment for the new institute was submitted to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 1972. The Humboldt Foundation was familiar with the envisioned institute, having supported the visit of Prof. Tschesche earlier. The request was granted. The granted equipment included an NMR, GC, MS, AAS, HPLC, Polarographic Analyzer and Densitometer. These instruments expanded the range and raised the sophistication of the chemical services that PIPAC offered.

JICA Grant
In 1974 a proposal was submitted to the Japanese Government for the support in putting up a building to house the Institute and to acquire additional scientific equipment. The Japanese government showed insterest in the project, but no grant was made. Over the next six years, the refocused proposal was presented every other year to the Japanese government for consideration.

In 1982 Japan's long sought-for donation, channeled through the Philippine Ministry of Trade and Industry, provided the much-needed impetus in the development of PIPAC. Construction was started immediately and the PIPAC building was inaugurated in 1984. Once settled into its new home, and with the installation of new major equipment and other facilities, the Institute's activities gained momentum.

Since its foundation in 1972, PIPAC has provided invaluable chemical services to more than 500 industrial and business firms, to the goverment and to other scientific institutions in the Philippines.

As a private, non-profit scientific institution, operating in cooperation with the Ateneo University, providing chemical services to industry, to business, the government and the general public, PIPAC has served as a model of how university-industry interaction can be of great benefit in a developing country.

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