Deputy Director for international education at NTU «KhPI», Associate Professor Oleksii Duniev, met with scientists and teachers from the University of Brescia (Italy). The purpose of the visit was to deepen cooperation between Kharkiv Polytechnic and Italian higher education institutions. They discussed expanding academic exchanges between students and teachers and preparing joint grant applications, in particular to Horizon Europe. Special attention was paid to the development of industrial partnerships between the Kharkiv region and the Brescia region. Key areas of cooperation include renewable and wave energy, electrical engineering, energy-efficient technologies, power electronics, and innovative solutions for the production of industrial pipeline fittings.
Despite the challenges caused by the war, the international activities of NTU «KhPI» maintain strategic consistency and dynamic development. An important step in this direction was this year’s visit by Oleksii Duniev, Deputy Director for International Education at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Energy, Electronics, and Electromechanics, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical Machines, to the University of Brescia. The meeting was a logical continuation of fruitful remote cooperation that began back in 2023, when he worked at this Italian university, remotely lecturing and conducting seminars for students and graduate students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (DIMI).
During working meetings, Italian colleagues presented the capabilities of the laboratory base in the fields of robotics, mechanical calculations, Smart Grid (smart networks), civil and industrial engineering, as well as the creation of high-strength composite materials. Professor Lucio Zavanella of the University of Brescia confirmed his readiness for joint research and academic mobility, emphasizing that NTU «KhPI» is considered a strategically important and equal partner.
Oleksii Duniev, in turn, presented the scientific potential of NTU «KhPI» and the experience of implementing applied developments in international projects. He emphasized that the competencies of Kharkiv polytechnics in the fields of energy and electrical engineering organically complement the achievements of Italian colleagues in the field of mechanics and Smart Grid. Among the initiatives discussed were expanding the academic mobility of students, graduate students, and teachers within the Erasmus+ KA1 program; preparing joint grant applications to Horizon Europe, in particular participation in an international consortium together with partners from Otto von Guericke University (Germany) for the development of wave energy and innovative solutions in energy production; the development of industrial cooperation between the Kharkiv region and the Brescia region, one of Europe’s leading centers for the production of industrial pipeline fittings. These areas form the basis for new international projects and long-term partnerships.
«We are sincerely grateful to our Italian partners for supporting Ukraine in its pursuit of independence and energy security. We are confident that active projects, new achievements, and strong friendship between our universities await us in the future!» said Oleksii Duniev.
NTU «KhPI» expresses its gratitude to Professor Lucio Zavanelli, as well as Professors Luigi Solazzi, Marco Pasetti, Alberto Borboni, Marcello Gelfi, Granieri Massimiliano, Simone Zanoni, and the entire university staff for their hospitality, constructive dialogue, and openness to developing joint initiatives.
Note:
The University of Brescia (UNIBS) is a public research university founded in 1982 in Brescia, Italy. UNIBS offers bachelor’s, master’s, postgraduate, and PhD programs in a wide range of fields, including engineering, economics, law, medicine, and natural sciences. The university has approximately 16.000–17.000 students and several departments actively engaged in scientific research and international academic initiatives. UNIBS is included in the world’s leading university rankings: in THE World University Rankings 2025, the institution ranks 351–400 in the world in terms of overall assessment and 133 in the world in terms of the quality of scientific publications. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, the university is among the top 650 in the world, and in terms of the impact of scientific publications (Citations per Faculty), it ranks 124th in the world and second in Italy. The university actively develops international cooperation, supports academic exchanges and joint research projects with universities in Europe, North America, and Asia. Among its partners is NTU «KhPI», with which it cooperates in the fields of engineering, energy, and innovative technologies. The visit of NTU «KhPI» Associate Professor Oleksii Duniev to the University of Brescia took place on February 19, 2026.