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Tag: Ukraine

KPI to host demining innovations competition

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

At present, Ukraine faces a formidable challenge – widespread contamination of land with explosives. Not only does this endanger the lives and health of citizens, but landmines and unexploded shells hinder economic growth and agricultural development, and prevent millions of displaced people from returning to their homes. Humanitarian demining is not merely a logistical task, it is a vital step towards a safe and peaceful future.

 

That is why TechBridge x Sikorsky Challenge have announced a competition of innovative solutions for humanitarian demining. The organisers are seeking out audacious, efficient, and creative ideas that will help to fast-track and make safer the process of clearing Ukrainian lands of mines and ammunition.

 

The TechBridge x Sikorsky Innovation Challenge competition is organised by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the UK Government, the Sikorsky Challenge Innovation Holding, the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and the Kyivska Politechnika Science Park.

 

The competition will take place at Kyiv Polytechnic on 30 September 2025 in a hybrid format (in-person and online).

 

The purpose of the competition is to cherry-pick and support innovative technologies for humanitarian demining developed by Ukrainian researchers and start-ups. Participation in the competition offers opportunities to:

·        Pitch solutions to international stakeholders

·        Collaborate with leading demining experts and operators

·        Attract investment and form partnerships with British companies

·        Win prizes, mentoring support, and the possibility of using engineering developments via viable projects

 

What solutions are being sought?

 

The organisers invite concepts or feasible projects in the following areas:

·        Use of drones, unmanned ground vehicles, AI-driven data analysis, multi-sensor platforms (GPR, LiDAR, thermal imaging cameras) for accurate and safe detection of landmines and ammunition across large areas

·        Development of ground and aerial robotic devices for the automated mine clearing of territories, minimising human involvement and risks to deminers in the field

·        Drawing and use of electronic maps of contaminated zones, platforms for collecting and analysing field data, and real-time processing

 

Why is this vital?

 

Successful solutions can contribute to the rapid and safe mine clearing of Ukraine’s territories, the return of people to their homes, and the recovery of infrastructure and agriculture. Concerted efforts will speed up recovery and ensure a safer future for thousands of Ukrainian families.

 

Winners will receive the following prizes:

First place – $3,000

Second place – $2,000

Third place – $1,000

 

Register now:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQh8rdFEx1_Xe-a3JocgOFBahRSuGQBADLcEttNyvDrTqI0w/viewform

 

The deadline for applications is 22 September 2025.

 

The UK-Ukraine TechBridge is a joint initiative undertaken by the UK Government and the Government of Ukraine, starting January 2024. It aims to forge connections between British and Ukrainian tech eco-systems by seeking mutual trade and investment opportunities, supporting innovation, and promoting training to develop technical skills in Ukraine.

RSE, KPI to train future power engineers

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

In a vital step toward strengthening Ukraine’s energy autonomy, RSE – a manufacturer of modular, flexible cogeneration solutions based on MWM gas engines (Caterpillar Energy Solutions) – has signed a memorandum about strategic partnership with the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) and announced the launch of the equipment of the Energy Resilience Lab.

The new space is supposed to form part of Kyiv Polytechnic’s Centre for Energy Decarbonisation and its Energy Innovation Hub. The lab will become an educational and demonstration centre this autumn, where students, engineers and the representatives of communities will learn to come up with and apply energy sustainability solutions.

Why does it matter?

In the context of war, energy autonomy has become a problem of the survival of cities and communities.

“RSE are modular containerised CHP [Combined Heat and Power] units that keep this country going. We design standalone energy facilities for communities, hospitals and the critical infrastructure – places where they are much needed,” explained Andrii Hrinenko, RSE founder. “Together with Kyiv Polytechnic, we at RSE aspire to train the next generation of power engineers. This is more than an educational project – it is a contribution to Ukraine’s reconstruction and energy independence.”

“Not only should universities provide a high level of theoretical training today, but they must serve as platforms for practical solutions that truly transform the country. And the Energy Resilience Lab exemplifies this mission,” stated Kyiv Polytechnic Rector Anatolii Melnychenko. “Owing to our partnership with RSE, we are creating not just another classroom, but an environment where students will gain experience to work on cutting-edge technologies that are already saving lives and restoring Ukraine’s energy sustainability.”

What will the lab offer?

Once completed, the Energy Resilience Lab will become Ukraine’s first training platform where it will be possible to:

·        Learn how to operate modular cogeneration plants

·        Master the principles of decentralised and backup energy

·        Study the best cases of real-world RSE application in frontline cities, hospitals and logistics hubs

·        Work with demonstration stands built on MWM/Caterpillar technologies.

What comes next?

Construction and maintenance are well underway, with the laboratory set to open its doors to the first cohort of students in autumn 2025. A team of teachers and mentors is being organised, training modules developed, and demonstration equipment prepared.

Through this partnership, RSE and Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute are not only building a lab — they are building the future of energy resilience in Ukraine.

About RSE

RSE is a Czech engineering and manufacturing company established by Ukrainian specialists during the war. It produces modular cogeneration plants based on MWM/Caterpillar Energy Solutions. More than 200 RSE modular plants are already in operation across Ukraine and Europe, ensuring the energy sustainability of communities, hospitals, and the critical infrastructure.

 

KPI, ASPILSAN Enerji discuss cooperation

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

An inaugural meeting with representatives of the Turkish high-tech company, ASPILSAN Enerji, took place at the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI). ASPILSAN Enerji, whose products are exported across the globe, expressed a keen interest in joint initiatives with Kyiv Polytechnic.

During the first working meeting, the potential areas of cooperation were under discussion, including:

·        Engineering developments in the sphere of energy for aerospace programmes, radio engineering and communication systems;

·        Joint energy projects with Kyiv Polytechnic’s departments – particularly with the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management, the Institute of Aerospace Technologies, the Faculty of Electric Power Engineering and Automatics, the Faculty of Chemical Technology, and the Faculty of Chemical Engineering – to create innovative materials for batteries;

·        Cooperation between ASPILSAN Enerji R&D centres and Kyiv Polytechnic’s research subdivisions;

·        Retraining programmes for specialists, as well as student exchange opportunities for internships at company’s manufacturing facilities;

·        Development of the university’s stand-alone energy infrastructure, particularly the expansion of the network of solar power plants.

ASPILSAN Enerji develops batteries and energy storage systems for various industries, ranging from aviation to the construction sector and civil infrastructure, and is the largest battery manufacturer in Turkey.

The meeting reflected a shared commitment to innovation, energy efficiency, and academic-industry cooperation — laying the groundwork for a promising partnership.

 

KPI Rector participates in HR Wisdom Summit

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

The 10th anniversary HR Wisdom Summit brought together more than 6,000 participants, including CEOs and HR leaders of large companies. This year’s agenda placed a particular emphasis on education and the professional training of future specialists.

During the panel discussion “Interaction of Educational Institutions and Real Business,” Anatolii Melnychenko (pictured right), Rector of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), joined representatives from leading companies – Ajax Systems, Metinvest, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Philip Morris International, and Kormotech – to reflect on the importance of the relationship between educators and employers.

In his remarks, Anatolii Melnychenko emphasised the need to expand and deepen cooperation between Kyiv Polytechnic and big businesses. He outlined the spectrum of formats for effective cooperation, including:

·        Equipment of laboratories

·        Software provision

·        Scholarship programmes supported by companies

·        Dual education

·        Certificate programmes.

These interaction formats enable an improvement in the quality of training and help to meet the needs of companies for specialists in accordance with the type of their business.

The panel also explored the relevance of higher engineering education and the future of engineering specialisations – an area where Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, with its deep-rooted tradition and innovative drive, continues to stand in the forefront.

 

KPI, Ericsson to train specialists in 5G

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

On 1 August 2025, the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute took an important step towards the digital future by signing a memorandum on cooperation with Ericsson’s subsidiary in Ukraine, as well as a memorandum about joining the Ericsson Educate: 5G University program.

 

Through this partnership, Kyiv Polytechnic students will get access to advanced learning materials provided by the world’s leading developer of 5G technology. The program is targeted specifically at students of the Institute of Telecommunication Systems and the Faculty of Radio Engineering to achieve professional competency in the fast-evolving domain of telecommunications.

 

Importantly, this program offers Kyiv Polytechnic students a career shaping opportunity to gain the necessary 5G knowledge, while enabling industry experts to contribute towards educating a new generation of specialists equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s digital landscape.

Cooperating in remote control of machinery

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

The Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute will cooperate with Japanese companies and organisations on the remote control of construction equipment, and will conduct an experiment on the use of systems developed by the Japanese company Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd. The company’s name, “Yachiyo,” is taken from a Japanese phrase that can be translated as “contributing to human society for all eternity.”

The key advantages of the technology are safety for employees, the capability of controlling multiple units of machinery through a single system, inclusivity for the workforce, and the high precision of technological processes.

Japanese delegation included:

• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (Director for International Cooperation and Head of the Overseas Projects Division)

• Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd (Executive General Manager, General Manager, Executive Director of Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V.)

• Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd (manager, associate employee from the Ukrainian side)

• Manager of Kowatech Co., Ltd

• Soliton Systems K.K. (Senior Vice President, Global Business Manager) – the leading Japanese technology company with a clear emphasis on Research & Development, including remote control and teleoperation.

Participants in the meeting from Ukraine:

• Kyiv Polytechnic (headed by Rector Anatolii Melnychenko)

• State Labor Service of Ukraine (led by the Head of the Service)

• Director of the Kyiv Regional Employment Centre

• Deputy Director of the General Energy Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The visit also included a tour of the Kyiv Polytechnic’s Ukraine-Japan Centre, underscoring the deepening ties between the two nations.

 

First KhPI Delegate at Lindau

Posted on by National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute»

Antonina Maizelis, Associate Professor of the Department of Technical Electrochemistry at NTU «KhPI», participated for the first time in the history of the university in a prestigious world-class scientific event – the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau (Germany). This year, the forum was dedicated to chemistry. Thirty Laureates of the Nobel Prize engaged in informal communication and discussions with a thousand young scientists and guests from 55 countries around the world.

Antonina Maizelis, Associate Professor of the Department of Technical Electrochemistry at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Chemical Technologies and Engineering of the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» and Doctor of Technical Sciences, took part in this year’s Nobel Laureate Meeting, which took place in the German city of Lindau (74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting). More than 30 Laureates of Nobel Prize in chemistry, physics, physiology, and medicine joined the conference to discuss sustainable development, environmental issues, and the application of artificial intelligence in the chemical industry. Among them were: M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino (2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry «For the development of lithium-ion batteries»), David W. C. MacMillan (2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry «For the development of asymmetric organocatalysis») , Dan Shechtman (2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry «For the discovery of quasicrystals»), John M. Jumper (2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry «For predicting the spatial structure of proteins»). Antonina Maizelis became the first representative of the NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» to attend a forum of this level. This was made possible thanks to the cooperation between the conference organizers, the rectorate, and the Research Department of the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute.»

Akira Yoshino’s lecture, which was devoted to the problem of CO2 emissions, made a particular impression on Antonina Maizelis, a researcher at the NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute»: «As an electrochemist, it was very pleasant to hear repeatedly about electrochemical technologies as clean and most desirable in the future.» Antonina notes that the Nobel Laureate Meeting in the German city of Lindau is a week when 30-40 prize Laureates and about six hundred young researchers work in one space without formal barriers. According to her, at this unusual conference, you can hear lectures on lithium-ion batteries as a startup from the developer himself, Sir M. Stanley Whittingham, or see a photo of Dan Shechtman’s laboratory journal, where he first noted the unusual structure of the crystal: «This is a time when you can discuss research problems and the future of science and technology with Nobel Laureates in a friendly atmosphere in the lounge or in the park.» «I would like to thank the organizers for their support and invitation, as well as the administration of the NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute», who gave me the opportunity to be a guest at this unique celebration of science,» says Antonina Maizelis.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Swedish: Nobelpriset i kemi) is the highest award for scientific achievements in the field of chemistry, awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Candidates for the prize are nominated by the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. The prize is one of five established in accordance with the will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel (died in 1896) in 1895, which are awarded for outstanding achievements in chemistry, physics, literature, physiology, and medicine, and for contributions to the establishment of peace.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are annual scientific events established in 1951 to promote personal dialogue between Nobel Prize Laureates and leading young researchers. They take place in Lindau (Germany) on Lake Constance. The motto of the meetings is «Teach – Inspire – Unite.» Each time, different disciplines are alternated: chemistry, physics, physiology/medicine. Since 2004, a separate meeting on economic sciences has been held. On average, 30–40 Nobel Prize Laureates and 600–650 young scientists from approximately 90 countries around the world, selected on a competitive basis, participate in the conference. Guests representing universities, foundations, and other organizations also attend the event. A special feature of these meetings is their format, which includes not only lectures but also a lot of informal communication between young scientists and Nobel Laureates. The program includes plenary lectures, discussions between Laureates and the audience mediated by a moderator, master classes, scientific breakfasts, and much more.

 

JICA delegation visits Kyiv Polytechnic

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

The delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), led by Senior Vice President Kenichi Kawamura, visited the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.

A key part of the visit was an introduction to the Kyiv Polytechnic’s Ukraine-Japan Centre and its wide-ranging activities – from courses in the Japanese language and traditional arts to a rich calendar of events, among others.

The Japanese guests also toured the university campus, learning about Kyiv Polytechnic’s achievements, and visited the Borys Paton State Polytechnic Museum, where many exhibits aroused their keen and genuine interest.

Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and JICA share a long history of fruitful cooperation, steadily expanding areas of partnership, particularly within the framework of the five-year JICA technical cooperation project at the Ukraine-Japan Centre.

JICA, with its partners, takes the lead in forging bonds of trust across the globe, aspiring to a free, peaceful and prosperous world where people can hope for a better future and explore their diverse potential.

KPI delegation attends Japanese tea ceremony

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

The delegation of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) – including Rector Anatolii Melnychenko, Kateryna Lugovska, Director of the Ukraine-Japan Centre, and Andrii Shysholin, Vice-Rector for International Relations – was recently received at the Residence of the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

It was more than a cultural event. It was a moment of inward peace and tranquillity, when every gesture and every pause of silence acquired significance. Rooted in the principles of Zen Buddhism and founded upon the reverence of the beautiful in the daily routine of life, the tea ceremony transcends the act of drinking tea. It is about the Way (道 – Dō): the way of harmony, heightened self-awareness, concentration, respect, and quietude.

At this challenging time for Ukraine, such an experience resonated with a particularly profound meaning. Japanese history provides an awe-inspiring example: a small island nation that once stood firm against imperial power. The Russo-Japanese War, (1904–05), is a timeless lesson in resilience, discipline, and strategic foresight – when a victorious Japan forced the Russian empire to abandon its expansionist policy in East Asia, thereby becoming the first Asian nation in modern times to defeat the imperialist power.

Special thanks are due to Japan for its support — in humanitarian efforts, in education, in technology. Subtle yet powerful and far-reaching. Like the ceremony itself.

KPI, FANUC establish cooperation on robotics

Posted on by Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

The Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) has established cooperation with FANUC Ukraine LLC – the official representative of Japan’s FANUC Corporation, a global pioneer in factory automation and a technology leader in robotics. This partnership offers Kyiv Polytechnic students new opportunities to develop their professional skills in the realm of industrial robot programming, one of the most marketable skills today.

In particular, cooperation with FANUC provides for:

·        Modernisation of university’s laboratories, equipping them with state-of-the-art FANUC robots

·        Organisation of a joint team to participate in international robotics competitions

·        Showcasing technologies during competitions, festivals, and university open days

The cooperation will also encompass testing of equipment, professional upskilling programmes, innovative distance learning techniques, as well as seminars and conferences, among others.

The partnership with FANUC raises Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to a qualitatively new level of educational and scientific development that aligns with the global shift towards high-tech industry.