The development of international activities in 2014 took place against the backdrop of stormy - both positive and threatening - events in our country, that objectively narrowed our options. But in spite of the negative factors many useful things have been done in the reporting year in the field of international activity.

As in previous years, the Department implemented organizational support for the development of international activities in the relevant areas:

  • Creation of joint international structures, platforms, clusters;
  • Development of the dual degree program (Bachelor, Master, PhD);
  • Participation in the regional and global educational and research programs;
  • International transfer of knowledge (educational services and technologies).

Also: according to the new tasks  the structure DIR has been improved - the directions that of foreign trade and international relations are strengthened; international activities are introduced as the fourth component in the system of rating departments of the university; the course "Management of international projects" is included in the curricula of training of graduate students.

The legal support of international activities is also strengthened. In particular, the regulatory framework in the organization of programs "Double Master", "Double graduate school" is generalized.

The visits of ambassadors of  many countries and high-level government delegations, for example, UNIDO and UNICEF were important components of organizational support of the international activities.  

One can note the following important  results.

With Poland. Ukrainian-Polish Forum of Rectors of Technical Universities of Ukraine and Poland "Technical education - for the future of Europe" has identified new forms of cooperation not only with Poland, but also with our other European partners, including Polish and European networks of quality assurance of higher technical education. The Ukrainian-Polish Center for Restorative energy is developing at the expense of the Polish Foreign Ministry. It is created a tripartite Faculty of Mechanical Engineers and electricians with Wroclaw Polytechnic and University of Magdeburg.

At the direction of Japan: 57 cultural events were held with the participation of 28,000 people of Kiev, 50 KPI students are learning in the courses of Japanese language ; there are working agreements on cooperation with 7 universities in Japan, three agreements on student exchanges.

In business with China: the framework agreement with the People's Government of the city Heychzhou of Guangdong Province was signed. As a result of the visit of the delegation headed by prof. A.N. Duganov the Joint Ukrainian-Chinese teaching and research institute was founded, which was the first step towards the development of our new forms of international cooperation in the field of knowledge transfer.

What are the main results of 2014 in conjunction with the relevant departments and offices.

10 projects TEMPUS, 3 EURASIA projects were carried out together with the Department of educational work. There was the first project under the program ERASMUS +.

Thanks to educational projects there started to work an international educational and scientific center on the orders of IT and other industries, in partnership with universities in Austria, Germany and Hungary at the IASA and the educational center NTUU " KPI "-" Progresteh-Ukraine "" with Boeing Corporation (USA) on the IME. The total number of joint international structures is close to 50.

A joint action with the European Agencies for Quality Assurance in Higher Technical Education and international accreditation specialties (CEENQA) was initiated by the department of educational work .

As a result of joint activity with the department of educational work in 2014 to enhance international mobility of students 171 our students are studying abroad. The joint (with University of Magdeburg Otto-von-Guericke) Ukrainian-German Faculty (IME, FPE, FW) is operating. There are 10 undergraduate programs "Double diploma" with universities in Germany, France, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 3 more agreements (with universities in France, Spain, Poland) were signed in 2014.

Now three projects on the 7th Framework Program are executed with the Department of Science and Innovation.

For integration  the scientists KPI into European Research space a National Contact Center of  Framework Program "Horizon 2020"  is created. Its thematic areas are  "Information Technology" and "Climate and resource use." This center is used by the scientists of the university, as well as for other benefits "Horizon 2020 ".

There is a strong support of international projects in the field of technology transfer. In 2014 University carried out 5 such international projects.

Our department provided his support for the following projects: clean water, Sikorsky Challenge, cosmic directions, as well as for the special for us - customs, legal and linguistic aspects of transport of the object space launch to the start via third countries

Together with the Department of administrative and economic activity it is  generated "road map" of the implementation in the KPI methodology of energy saving and development of the university on the basis of the principles of "green campus" for the sustainable development of society. This work is carried out thanks to the experience handed down to us by experts University of Winnipeg.

Now I  will characterize the performance  divisions of the International activity.

FCT became the leader of international activity in 2014. Faculty performs two projects under the program EURASIA, a project under the program STCU, Ukrainian-Austrian bilateral project scientific cooperation contracts to provide scientific and technical services together with the firms "Detecta Services", Collini GmbH and "FARMEK Belarus", bilateral projects with German scientific organizations.

In 2014, FE and FAM were included in top five of the leaders.

FE in a certain extent, is the leader in co-operation with international companies. Thus, the Learning Center Technology product design firm ALTERA is operating within the framework of the international program of the company ALTERA, USA (ATPP - Altera Training Partner Program). Within the international university program of the company Texas Instruments (USA) the training laboratory of this company is operating.  The training IT Technology Center (Korean - Ukraine IT Education Training Center) is working under the joint Korean-Ukrainian project KOIСA (Korea International Co­operation Agency).

FAM is characterized by its activity in international projects. In 2014, FAM was involved in projects under the program TEMPUS, mobility program ERASMUS MUN¬DUS, became the academic coordinator of the new European program ERASMUS +.

FHPE was the most active according the index of academic mobility - students, graduate students, teachers of the faculty in 2014 carried out 35 visits to 16 countries. They took part in trainging, international conferences, scientific and pedagogical work.

FIDE is the leader according to the index of international publications, taking into account number of  monographs and scientific papers published abroad. The specified index is higher than the average at the university more than doubled.

According to the index of activity international cooperation, taking into account the international conventions, events, joint structures, the third consecutive year the leader is the Welding Faculty. Faculty in the year held 31 international event. The training center in the direction of "International Welding Engineer" is operating at the Faculty for many years. Faculty participates in two programs double diploma: Federal University of the city Umberlandiya (Brazil) and in the framework of the Joint Faculty machinery with the University of Otto-von-Guericke city Magdeburg. The faculty is the member of  various international professional associations.

According to the index of activity in the international education market, which takes into account the number of foreigners students the leaders in 2014, as well as in 2013, are the same -  FASS and FAM. The faculties changed only places. About 10 percent of students in these departments are foreign nationals.

According to the index of efficiency of international activity which includes the funds from international activities, the leader the third year in a row is FASS. Faculty members are actively developing international scientific and technical cooperation, in particular with partners in China. The faculty is also one of the leaders of the project activity. In 2014, the Department participated in 3 international educational projects on European programs TEMPUS and ERASMUS MUNDUS. The faculty has a representative office of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience organization (IAESTE - The International Association for the Exchange of Student for Technical Experience). In addition, the faculty has a local group of European student organization BEST (Board of European Students of Technolodgy - Council of students technical universities in Europe).

Faculty’s rating is based on the work of the faculty departments. Therefore, by the above method it was evaluated departments' work in 2014 (see. Table.). In the "top ten" there are departments from 7 faculties, and not only of those that tops the list. Unique result showed FSL - just 4 chairs are included in the top 10. If this trend continues, we should expect a change of leaders among the faculties.

Location Department Faculty
1 Department of Information and Enterprising Law FSL
2 Department of Mathematical Methods of System Analysis IASA
3 Department of public law FSL
4 Department of Administrative, Financial and Economical Law  FSL
5 Surface Engineering Department FW
6 Department of Theory of Law and State  FSL
7 Department of Aircraft Control Devices and Systems  FASS
8 The Department of Electrochemical Production Technology FCT
9 Department of nuclear power stations and engineering thermophysics FHPE
10 Department of Mechanical Engineering Technologies IME

The difficult economic situation in the country affected our economic performance. Proceeds from training foreign citizens amounted to UAH 9840000, customs cleared of equipment for the educational process and scientific research - in the amount of UAH 420000, from other types of international  activities (contracts, educational and scientific projects, grants, international charity care) - 21.3 million UAH, and from foreign economic activity in all components – 31,14 million UAH. Although the funds raised in the hryvnia mass, but with the fall of the gryvnia our economical indicators declined.

Our international activities achieved a positive assessment. In the national rating "TOP-200" on the international component  the KPI took first place in all the years of its holding.

In the development of international activities there are a lot of reserves and tasks.

Firstly, we need to modify our strategy, given the role of three new major factors:

  • The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union;
  • Ukraine's status as an associate member of the European Commission Program "Horizon 2020";
  • Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" in terms of international activity.

Strategy of international activities should be formed based on the principles of university autonomy. The scientists’ estimation should be based on the international system index of  citation. It should be strengthened role of such indicators of the level of the university as a place in the national, sectoral and international rankings. It should be  intensified  the focus on the European practice of quality assurance of higher technical education, which is based - assessment of non-governmental agencies through quality assurance of higher technical education; remove barriers to strengthen foreign trade activities, export and import of educational services through the creation of joint educational institutions in Ukraine and abroad.

Through this international activity of the University should be an integral part of the teaching, educational, scientific innovation and organizational principles of all departments of the university.

On "Horizon 2020" - we became full participants in all announced competitions of scientific and technical cooperation European Union.

For our faculties, individual scientists it is appeared an incentive to get significant financial support for teaching and research activities.

Implementation of the Association Agreement with the European Union requires the perception of universities of Ukraine principles of European mentality: tolerance, consensual approach to problem solving, perception of historical and cultural diversity, the removal of borders and the others.

Civilizational influence of these characteristics on the changes in our university environment cannot be overestimated: our students and teachers have more opportunities for the free development, pedagogical process is focused on the individual, Ukraine is expanded to European markets, educational, scientific and technical services, marketing, intellectual property products and so on.

Change of the basis for further organization of the international activities of the university require the implementation a number of important tasks.

First of all, we must complete the implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" (from 07.01.2014, № 1556-VII), which relate to the international activity, and strengthen legal security in international direction, create a virtual a new regulatory framework for the international activities of the university.

Among the most important tasks for the University Department of international cooperation - strengthening  of coordination in international activities of different forms.

An example of still untapped opportunities to provide educational services to foreign citizens is the absence of the expanding the range of educational programs, lectures courses in English. Therefore, there was no increase of income from this type of foreign economic activity.

A more significant role in strengthening the various components of international activities can be played by the Center for International Education. All that is competitive in the KPI can be offered by the Centre to advertise by the Embassies of Ukraine abroad.

Many at the departments still do not see in international activities the great opportunities that can open the way to solve urgent problems of life departments; this psychological barrier gradually overcome, although not as fast as it shoul be.

But we feel increased cost due to motivation, when the development from external sources, increasing the number of international projects, exchanges, a cooperation international business becomes high technological for  faculties and departments more required  than in previous years . This should help to finally overcome the above psychological barrier.

In conclusion I would like to express my gratitude to all those who actively worked to promote international cooperation and laid the foundations for further approval in the world KPI and our state.

From the report of Vice-Rector for International Relations S.I. Sidorenko