The institution runs a number of undergraduate and graduate courses for both military and civilian personnel.

IME operates as part of the Army's Science and Technological System - Sistema de Ciência e Tecnologia do Exército - and cooperates with other educational agencies in a bid to provide the best teaching and service possible.

Many of the establishment's resources are also used for the good of the surrounding community and country as a whole.

Created half way through the nineteenth century, Instituto Nacional de Educacão de Surdos (INES) was founded by Édouard Huet du Pavillon - commonly known as E. Huet - to help deaf and mute people of both sexes.