National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” has a long-term tradition of international cooperation. In 2023, the university’s international relations celebrated its 95th anniversary. Throughout all these years, NTU “KhPI” has been carrying out a broad program of international cooperation, permanently strengthening and expanding scientific and engineering ties with leading organizations and institutions of higher education in many countries of the world. It participates in the most prestigious programs and projects financed by international organizations and foundations. The purpose of these activities is to integrate into world economic systems, attracting foreign investments to raise the level of education in Ukraine, obtaining grants for scientific investigations, improving the quality of education and organization of the educational process.
The main avenues of the international activities of NTU “KhPI”:
- Embedding international components in the educational and scientific spheres of the university life;
- Participating in international educational and scientific projects and programs;
- Promoting the academic exchange of students, teachers and scientists;
- Providing graduates with professional knowledge and intercultural communication skills;
- Fostering a continuous influx of a permanent contingent of foreign students, graduate students and interns.
Currently, the university enjoys cooperation agreements with more than 200 leading institutions of higher education and scientific organizations from 39 countries of the world (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, China, Korea, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the USA, Hungary, France, Sweden, etc.), including 20 countries of the European Union, and it is a permanent and full member of the most authoritative academic associations in Europe and the world:
- Alliance of Universities for Democracy (AUDEM) since 1998;
- European University Association (EUA) since 2007;
- Black Sea Universities Network (BSUN) since 2009;
- Eurasian Universities Association (EUA) since 2009.
An important step in the university’s integration into the European educational space was the signing of the Great Charter of Universities (“Magna Charta Universitatum”) by the Rector of NTU “KhPI”, Professor Leonid Tovazhniansky, in September 2005. This event took place at the University of Bologna (Italy), the oldest institution of higher education in Europe, thus officially certifying the integration of NTU “KhPI” into the Bologna process.
The internationalization strategy is an integral part of the development strategy of the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”. The internationalization strategy is supposed to ensure the strengthening of the positions and competitiveness of the university in the world educational and scientific space through continuous improvement of the quality of educational services provided according to global criteria, and it also includes a pool of measures taken to improve the international image of the university and develop scientific and educational programs.
According to the internationalization strategy of NTU “KhPI”, the priority avenues of the university’s development are:
- Promoting international academic and scientific mobility and participating in international educational and scientific programs;
- Expanding the geography of international relations, concluding bilateral and multilateral agreements with scientific institutions and the institutions of higher education abroad;
- Intensifying the dissemination of information among the departmental teams on the possibilities of participation in international projects to involve them in the submission of project applications and the implementation of international projects;
- Intensifying the activities on search for foreign institutions of higher education that would act as the partners contributing to the introduction of new training avenues into the educational process and their promotion that would allow the students to get double-pattern diplomas of higher education;
- Intensifying grant-searching activities for the participation of students and teachers in international educational programs, in particular internships;
- Ensuring the coordination of activities of the university’s units on the development and implementation of international agreements and contracts.
Participation in international projects and programs is an element of the internationalization strategy of NTU “KhPI” and the implementation of them is an important factor in improving the quality of education and approbation in practice of the postulates of the Bologna Declaration. More than 70 educational and research international projects are implemented annually at the university.
In 2015 the University dynamically joined the ERASMUS+ KA1 program (academic mobility) of the European Union. The program supports mobility, cooperation projects, partnerships and activities in the field of education, professional training, youth and sports. Participation in the program opens great opportunities for students and academic staff willing to study or do internships at the best universities in Europe, develop their skills, compare educational methods, become fluent in a foreign language, and gain invaluable life experience. Students (bachelors, starting from the 2nd year of their studies at the University and masters), postgraduate students, teachers and administrative staff can participate in the program. Participants get a financial support/scholarship that covers all travel and living expenses abroad. The period of study abroad, as well as the received credits, must be credited by the home university.
Currently, within the framework of this program, the university is implementing more than 40 ERASMUS+ KA1 projects on cooperation with leading institutions of higher education in Europe.
The University takes an active part in the implementation of the projects under the EU ERASMUS+ KA2 program, (potential development in the field of higher education), programs of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), other scientific and engineering projects and programs within the framework of intergovernmental agreements.
The experience gained as a result of the implementation of international projects is of great interest and has a tangible effect on all the areas of life at the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute creating an international intellectual field of the university.
The number of grants received by the university from international funds and programs for scientific work testify to the international recognition of NTU “KhPI”. It became possible due to close scientific ties between the departments of NTU “KhPI” and their foreign partners in such fields as energy saving, industrial and medical electronics, nanotechnology, physical materials science for electronics and solar energy, turbine construction, internal combustion engines, physics of metals and semiconductors , dynamics and strength of machines, materials science, bionanotechnologies, software engineering and information management technologies, information systems, electric drive, composite materials, technology of ceramics, refractories, glass and enamels, inorganic chemistry, synthesis of fats, technologies of bound nitrogen, heat and mass transfer, applied mathematics that enabled more efficient joint research in different fields of science.
The work of international research teams formed within the framework of international research projects harvested positive results in particular the volume of funding was increased, the laboratory base was updated, advanced scientific results were achieved and presented at international conferences.
International Relations Department of NTU “KhPI” whose history dates back to 1980 is in charge of coordination of the international activities carried out by the departments and other units of the university. The activities of the Department are aimed at organizing and supporting the international partnership of the university in the educational, scientific, engineering and cultural spheres, expanding and strengthening international relations and the authority of the university in the worldwide scientific and educational space. The priority task of the Department is to implement the strategy of the international activities carried out by the University.
NTU “KhPI” willingly supports and develops exchange programs for students, postgraduates, teaching staff and scientists and other international academic exchange programs, grants and scholarships, education and internship training at partner universities of NTU “KhPI”, language courses with summer practical work for students in such countries as France, Hungary, Romania, Poland and Germany. It provides an opportunity for an increase in the level of theoretical and practical training, doing original research with the use of modern equipment and technologies, mastering the latest unique methods, gaining experience in carrying out research activities, ensuring the information exchange and expanding scientific contacts.
The university makes great efforts to ensure the departure process of students’ abroad is not one-sided. This is facilitated by the fact that the university has about 40 educational programs taught in English, 13 double degree programs with universities in Germany, Slovakia, France, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Korea and China, and it allows our students to simultaneously get diplomas of European and international patterns.
In order to intensify international cooperation and mobility, NTU “KhPI” readily deals with an issue relating to an increase in the number of students and teachers who have a good command of foreign languages. Thus, the educational center “German Technical Faculty” is efficiently working at the university and it acts as the only coordination center providing the interaction of NTU “KhPI” with leading German and Austrian universities, employers, and the support funds for students, teachers, and scientists. The educational center provides a unique opportunity for students of all majors to study the German language during the entire period of education at the university.
Every year, more than 300 scientific employees, teachers, students and postgraduate students of NTU “KhPI” go abroad for scientific work and internships, to participate in conferences and symposia, and to study in various programs. Most of these programs are fully funded by the European Union (ERASMUS+ program), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA), and other international or national funds.
Year after year, more than 30 international scientific and technical conferences, a great number of huge international forums, presentations and exhibitions are held at the university. The university continuously participates in international exhibitions abroad.
Due to its active international cooperation, NTU “KhPI” was repeatedly recognized as one of the best universities both in the region and in Ukraine.
NTU “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” is worthily represented in prestigious international Rankings. Thus, according to the results of the most influential QS World University Rankings, the university is included in the TOP-1000 of the best institutions of higher education in the world in terms of their achievements in the field of education and science, and according to the same Ranking, it continues to maintain the brand of the best engineering university in the country, entering the TOP- 5 best universities in Ukraine. According to the British agency The Times Higher Education, NTU “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” entered the annual world ranking of research universities The Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2019, becoming one of the two engineering universities in Ukraine that got into this prestigious world ranking, occupying the position of 1001+ of the best universities in the world throughout the period of 2019 up to now.
Therefore, it can be confidently stated that the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute” is actually a European University, the graduates of which are increasingly in demand on the international labor market. At the same time, it was possible to combine the achievements of the national institution of higher education with the main principles of the Bologna Declaration that conditions a high ranking of the university.
Contacts:
Vice-rector for Scientific-and-Pedagogical Work (International Relations)
Khrypunov Gennadiy Semenovych
Tel: +38 (057) 706-32-16
E-mail: khrip@ukr.net
E-mail: khripunov@kpi.kharkov.ua
International Relations Department
Head of the International Relations Department
Goncharov Oleksandr Andriyovych
Tel: +38 (057) 706-32-28
E-mail: Oleksandr.Goncharov@kpi.kharkov.ua
NTU «KhPI»
2, Kyrpychova str.,
61002, Kharkiv, Ukraine
omsroot@kpi.kharkov.ua