Deputy head of the Department of International cooperation Yevgeny Polishchuk has told “KP” about the work of Ukrainian-Polish center NTUU"KPI".
- How many years the Ukrainian-Polish center existed in KPI? For what purpose it was created, what are directions of its activity?
- Ukrainian-Polish center NTUU "KPI" was founded and started working in 2008. The purpose of its establishment in our university is the strengthening the partnership with Polish universities in the organization of educational process and academic exchanges, scientific contacts in the cultural sphere and sport. Experience has shown that the decision to establish such an institution was absolutely right: there were appeared reliable partners in Poland, cooperation with them enriches us and our friends. And the Ukrainian-Polish center plays the role of a moderator of the relationship.
- By the way, how many partners has KPI in Poland?
- Now we are actively cooperating with 13 universities from Poland. And, of course, we maintain close ties with the Section of KPI graduates in the Republic of Poland, led by graduate and, since last year, Honorary Doctor of the University Janusz Fuchs. He is a great patriot and friend of our University.
- And which institutes and departments KPI most actively collaborate with Polish partners?
- FEPEA, FASS, IPP, FPE, IASA, FMM, FL, FSl are working with Polish colleagues in different directions and different forms.
- Does our cooperation with Polish universities is limited by partnership in research projects and shared cultural and sports activities, or we cooperate in double degree programs as well?
- The work in this direction has already begun. Closest to the top realization of such joint programs with Polish partners are now FMM, FSL and IME.
- Tell something about exchange programs. In which universities undergraduate and graduate students KPI are studying now?
- Exchange programs work successfully. Now our students learn in Warsaw Polytechnics, Lodz Polytechnics (10 masters and one graduate student). In addition, in Warsaw and Silesian Polytechnics during the month there were trained graduates IESEM and doctoral FPE.
- There are in KPI working Polish language courses. What is the training program, who are the teachers, how many people visit the courses?
The initiator of the organization of such courses was rector of the University Michael Zgurovsky. They work for the sixth year and are visited by scientists, graduate and undergraduate students. The teachers - Polish Ministry of Education volunteers - employees of the Jagiellonian University Grouse Malgorzata (2010 to 2014) and Wojciech Zvolinsky (2014). The course is designed by Polish Ministry of Education specifically for foreigners. Now we have opened 4 groups of students at the Institute of Postgraduate Education NTUU "KPI" and the Faculty of Linguistics. Annually about 30 students receive their certificates. In addition, last year we carried out the summer intensive courses - they were visited by 50 listeners.
- With the active participation of the Polish Ukrainian Center it also established cooperation between the KPI and the Polish Academy of Sciences. Tell us more about it.
- We have established very good partnership with the Delegation of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kiev, which is headed by Professor Henrik Sobchuk. With this cooperation in our university it was installed a monument graduate KPI, outstanding Polish physicist-chemist Wojciech Sventoslavskomu. There was an interesting Ukrainian-Polish seminar on computer modeling of new materials, which took place in November last year. We held the meeting with leading scientists PAN and became familiar with other activities. This year, in cooperation with the PAN it is scheduled to hold three joint international scientific conference - on FEPEA, FPE and FBB.
And yet, at the Department of renewable energy FEPEA there is a project Polish Foreign Ministry "Polish Aid" Teaching & Research Ukrainian-Polish center where students and trainees passing refresher courses on modern equipment of advanced companies in Poland. There are negotiations with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine on the establishment of centers in other areas.
- And what are the activities UPC planned for the current year, it there is something special?
- It will be very interesting and useful to scientists and students a meeting with Polish colleagues at the international seminar "Computer design of new materials. Status, Problems and Prospects" (FPE), the international scientific-practical conference "Clean Water. The fundamental, applied and industrial aspects" - it has become traditional and is held for the third time (responsible for the organizational aspects of its implementation FBB), "Renewable energy sources and efficiency of the twenty-first century" (here the responsible is FEPEA). And, of course, I'm sure it will be a very interesting competition for the best knowledge of the Polish language, which will be held in Faculty of Linguistics.
- Ukrainian-Polish center NTUU "KPI" actively participated in the preparation of the first Forum of Rectors of Technical University of Ukraine and Poland. What kind of event is this? Is it planned to make such a meeting of heads of technical colleges regular, and if so, when will be held the next forum?
- This was the first meeting of the rectors of technical universities of our two countries. Forum was held last November in the National University "Lviv Polytechnic". There were there the presentations made by the chairman of the Association of rectors of higher technical educational institutions of Ukraine, rector of our University NAS academician Michael Zgurovsky and chairman of the Conference of Rectors of technical universities the Republic of Poland, the rector of Wroclaw Polytechnic Professor Tadeusz Ventskovski. Forum participants discussed issues concerning the future of technical education. This is, in fact, was given by the organizers, as the slogan of the forum - "Technical education - for the future of Europe."
The forum participants adopted a number of recommendations which identified areas for further cooperation of Ukrainian and Polish universities. There is the need to establish the National Council of Ukraine on quality assurance of higher technical education and accreditation of specialties. There are problems of possible merger Ukraine's accession to the European network of accrediting agencies (ENQA, CEENQA, ENAEE and others), under-delay proposals to introduce in Ukraine documents such as the European passport of the engineer (Engineering Card) and the honorary title of EUR ING (European Engineer) and more more. At the suggestion of the rector of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of oil and gas Eustace Kryzhanovsky the next meeting of rectors of higher technical educational institutions of Ukraine and the Conference of Rectors of Technical Universities of the Republic of Poland "Technical education - future for Europe "is planned on the basis of the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas in 2015. In the future, these forums will be held alternately in Poland and Ukraine annually.