The conversation took place during a visit to the university by Nataliia Ozden, the company's investment project manager. At the end of the meeting, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Turkey, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar joined the conversation.
The guest was met by the Rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine Michael Zgurovsky, Vice-Rector for International Relations of the NAS of Ukraine Serhiy Sydorenko, Director of the Institute of Aerospace Technologies Ivan Korobko, Head of the All-Ukrainian Innovation Ecosystem "Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine", the head of the University Start-up School "Sikorsky Challenge" Inna Malyukova and others. In addition, Vyacheslav Protsenko, General Director of Meridian, took part in the discussion of directions and forms of possible cooperation. This representation was not accidental - this is not the first visit to Kyiv Polytechnic of top managers of a well-known Turkish company, which is one of the world leaders in the production of strike drones. The University has already been visited by the General Director of "Baykar Makina” Haluk Bayraktar, who also visited the shops and laboratories of "Meridian". As the head of a company specializing in the development and manufacture of drones, he was primarily interested in organizing joint research and design work to create engines and various equipment for aircraft. And, of course, the possibility of training on the basis of our university specialists to work in the company and on its orders. Of course, the possibility of establishing partnerships with the company, whose combat vehicles have already proven their effectiveness during actual hostilities, is attractive to us.
Therefore, the conversation during the new meeting with the representative of "Baykar Makina" was more substantive, especially after the presentation of activities and projects of the basic for cooperation cooperation of the university department - the Institute of Aerospace Technology - it was made by Ivan Korobko. He focused on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and systems that have already been created at the IAT, or on which his students and staff are working. Speaking about the training component in the activities of the institute, he noted that currently 75 Turkish citizens, who can be potential employees of the company, receive education in the field of aircraft and rocketry here. Especially since the precedent is set: one of students of the institute, who recently defended his master's dissertation, already works in it. And considering that Baykar Makina has decided to build its own enterprise in Ukraine, it will be interested in training Ukrainian specialists to work on it.
So the participants of the conversation agreed on the need to create a joint laboratory in Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, or rather a training and research centre, which should work on the basis of IAT. In fact, the organizational form and priority areas of such a unit should be defined in a special memorandum, the preparation and general structure of which was agreed by the participants. Nataliia Ozden also expressed great interest in establishing cooperation within the Sikorsky Challenge Festival - both during its organization and holding, and in the implementation of the most interesting projects that meet the profile of "Baykar Makina". "A whole set of areas is emerging in which we will be able to cooperate. This includes scientific work, engineering and innovation projects, and educational activities, - summed up Michael Zgurovsky. - We are actually interested in working with you in all these areas, especially since they are interconnected."
It should be noted that the establishment of a training and research centre at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is only part of the overall program of cooperation between the two countries, which has been actively developing in recent years. "Ukraine and Turkey are strategic partners. And it's not just words, it's concrete actions. One of their manifestations is the high-tech interaction and complementarity of technologies, scientific potential and financial resources, which are reflected in the cooperation with one of the partners - the company "Baykar Makina", - said Vasyl Bodnar after the meeting. - Interaction with "Baykar Makina" has been developing for a long time. We bought unmanned aerial vehicles from her, now we have an idea to start a plant for the production and assembly of such aircraft. This was agreed by the presidents of our countries during a meeting of the High-Level Strategic Council, and today the company is looking for a place to locate this enterprise. Currently, formal and organizational aspects for the start of construction are being worked out. This is a serious investment, because it is not just the sale of some products, but joint production, which is needed both to strengthen the state's defence capabilities and to significantly increase the technological level of our cooperation. It is beneficial for both Ukraine and Turkey… This plant will already be part of Ukraine's industrial and scientific potential. “ And, let's add, one of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute partners, in particular, in establishing a system of dual education. After all, this model of training will be the most effective for improving the quality of training.