At the end of June, a delegation from Igor Sikorsky KPI took part in a workshop as part of the T.I.M.E. Association's international project “Remote Labs for Ukraine,” which was held at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. The delegation included representatives of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, the Faculty of Radio Engineering, and the Faculty of Linguistics: Olga Kholyavik, Ivanna Slobodyanyuk, Tetiana Garanenko, Olga Musienko, Oksana Zakharchenko, and Lyudmila Vlasyuk.
The purpose of the trip of the delegation of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to Wrocław was not only to present their achievements in the development of remote laboratories, in particular in metal processing, hydraulics, and mechanics, but also to actively participate in international exchange of experience. Therefore, the KPI representatives joined the plenary sessions, presentations, and numerous discussions organized by the organizers.
It was especially valuable and interesting to get a firsthand look at the material and technical base of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology: workshop participants had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, including the areas of automation, materials resistance, welding, additive manufacturing, and hydraulics.
The key event was a round table discussion on future cooperation. Specific proposals for further international cooperation were made. The issues raised in the discussion concerned not only the development of remote laboratories, but also opportunities to participate in international grant projects such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS).
Among the most memorable events of the workshop were the laboratory sessions that took place on the first day of the workshop. The first was a presentation on the “Energy Laboratory” by a representative of the Department of Energy Technology at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden), after which the participants moved on to "Laboratory 2: Industry 4.0," presented by Dr. Marcin Korzeniowski from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology. These sessions allowed participants to delve deeply into the practical aspects of developing remote laboratories and discuss the proposed innovative approaches.
The second day was devoted to defining areas and conditions for cooperation, practical familiarization with advanced laboratories, and, most importantly, intensive discussion of further joint steps. Incidentally, the day's events began with a session prepared and conducted by Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, “Laboratory 3: Hydraulics and Mechanics – KPI.” The KPI team, consisting of Prof. Yuriy Petrakov (virtual laboratories for metal processing), Kostyantyn Belikov (Hydraulics and Pneumatics), Pavlo Protsenko, and Andriy Petryshyn (Theory of Mechanisms and Machines), presented their work via videoconference. This provided an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and demonstrate the potential of Ukrainian universities.
Participants were also given a detailed tour of the laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, with a demonstration of the possibilities for work and study in key disciplines such as automation, materials resistance, welding, additive manufacturing, and hydraulics. During the tour, a real dialogue, or rather a polyphonic conversation, took place, during which the participants actively discussed the possibilities of introducing new technologies and, again, expanding cooperation. Thus, representatives of technical universities had the opportunity not only to see modern equipment, but also to discuss the practical aspects of its application in the context of remote laboratories.
Thanks to this trip, the members of the KPI delegation were able to establish new and strengthen existing partnerships with representatives of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, KTH (Sweden), the T.I.M.E. Association, as well as Ukrainian universities – Lviv Polytechnic National University, Ivan Pul'uj Ternopil National Technical University, and Kyiv Academic University State Scientific Institution.
For reference: T.I.M.E. Association (Top International Managers in Engineering) is a leading international network of technical universities and engineering schools, founded in 1989. Over the years, it has become a real platform for the development of engineering education and intercultural cooperation. The network brings together 57 member universities from 25 countries around the world. In March 2025, the T.I.M.E. Advisory Committee approved and funded several important projects, including the project within which the workshop in question took place.