The unity of science and education was initiated at the institute from the first year of its foundation by the first director V. L. Kyrpychov and continues to this day. KhPI owes its powerful, multifunctional scientific and educational structure to the founders of scientific schools of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who made a significant contribution to the development of the world and national higher education system, scientific and technical thought. These are the Nobel Prize winner L. D. Landau, world-renowned scientists – academicians M. M. Beketov, A. M. Beketov, V. O. Steklov, P. P. Budnikov, A. K. Walter, A. M.Lyapunov, K.D.Sinyelnikov, V.I.Orlov, professors K.O.Zvorykin, P.M.Mukhachev, M.D.Pilchikov, P.P.Kopnyaev, honorary doctors D.I.Mendeleev, M.E.Zhukovsky.
In the 60s and 80s of the last century, KhPI became one of the largest universities in the country. The training of specialists for new areas of scientific and technological progress was led by talented scientists and teachers: the rector of KhPI professor M.F.Semko – in the field of mechanical locomotive engineering; Doctor of Tengineering; academicians V.I.Atroshchenko – technology of bound nitrogen; A.P.Filipov – applied mathematics and mechanics; professors P.P.Karpukhin – organic dyes; I.M.Babakov – mechanics; L.S. Palatnik – physics of metals and semiconductors; S.M. Kutsenko –echnical Sciences, B.N. Tyutyunnikov – fats technology; Doctor of Technical Sciences, I.S. Rogachev – electrical engineering; E.O. Noskov – foundry. O. Noskov – foundry; Y. I. Schnee – turbine engineering; M. M. Glagolev – engine building; Associate Professor S. M. Fertik – powerful electric and magnetic fields and others. New departments and specialities were created at KhPI, and new scientific schools were developed. If in the 60s there were nine scientific schools at the institute, in 1985 there were already 27 of them. Scientific schools are creative communities of scientists of different generations, whose significant scientific results are recognised by experts from Ukraine, the Soviet Union and foreign scientists. They cover fundamental and applied research areas.
To ensure the organisation and conduct of scientific research in the 50s of the XX century, a research department was established at the Institute. The department was headed by E.M. Degtyarev and K.S. Filimonov, and in 1962, the department was headed by an outstanding organiser and dedicated person, Associate Professor Y.G. Pogorelov. At the end of the last century, the leading universities of the USSR, among which KPI was among the 25, reached the level of industry and academic research institutes in terms of research activity. In 1985, the year of the 100th anniversary of the educational institution, the volume of scientific research exceeded 32 million rubles, while all these funds were received by the institute through the implementation of economic contracts and only 1.1 million rubles were financed from the state budget. Scientists of the Institute performed urgent tasks of the industry, developed friendly relations with the leading enterprises of Kharkiv, including: SE “Malyshev Plant”, PJSC “KhTZ named after S. Ordzhonikindze”, PJSC “Turboatom”, SE “Electrotyazhmash”, SE “KhMZ”, SE “FED” and others.
University science, which had reached a new milestone, required improved management, new approaches to ensuring the implementation of research results in production, and a number of organisational issues. Therefore, in order to further improve the efficiency of research work in universities, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialised Education of the USSR issued an order in 1978 allowing leading universities to establish research departments. A research unit is a single scientific institution that unites all scientific units of a university, including research institutes. In the same year, the Research Department was reorganised into the Research Unit, headed by Vice-Rector for Research, Lenin Prize winner, Honoured Worker of Higher Education of the Ukrainian SSR, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Ihor Ryzhkov. He directed the activities of the Research Centre through his deputies: Associate Professor Yurii Pogorelov – Deputy for Research, Associate Professor Hennadii Lisachuk – for Applied Research, Associate Professor Sergii Kondrashov – for Production and Technical Support of Research.
After Professor I.V. Ryzhkov, the heads of the research centre were: Honoured Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Doctor of Phys. V.I. Taran, A.V. Roslavtsev, G.I. Lviv, Honoured Worker of Science and Technology, Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor G.V. Lisachuk, and since 2023, Laureate of the Presidential Prize for Young Scientists, PhD, Kryvobok R.V.
In 2000, the President of Ukraine issued a Decree that noted the national and international recognition of the results of Kharkiv State Polytechnic University and its significant contribution to the development of higher education and science. According to this Decree, the university was granted national status and became known as the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”.
The unity of educational and scientific activities has provided NTU “KPI” with significant achievements in engineering training and research throughout its 130-year history, a high rating and leading positions among Ukrainian universities and wide popularity in the world. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine granted the university the status of a self-governing (autonomous) research national university by its Resolution No. 76 of 03.02.2010 for significant scientific achievements, ensuring the integration of education and science with production, and successful implementation of international projects and programmes. Having received the status of a research university, NTU “KhPI” has intensified its work on fundamental and applied research and development in the recognised priority areas of scientific, scientific, technical and innovative activities, including in cooperation with the National and sectoral academies of sciences. Further integration of education and science with production is ensured through the creation of educational, research and production associations of basic departments and laboratories together with academic institutes, enterprises, institutions and organisations. The work on the protection of intellectual property rights, in particular, the university’s innovative developments, is being improved. The University actively promotes the training of highly qualified scientific and pedagogical personnel through postgraduate and doctoral studies.
The university continues to actively support and develop new scientific schools (medical instrumentation, energy-saving technologies, new chemical compounds and alternative materials, armoured vehicles, biotechnology, environmental safety and health, etc.) by providing priority funding for basic research, holding exhibitions, fairs, competitions, scientific and technical symposia, congresses and conferences under the auspices of the university, maintaining and expanding professional ties with scientists from Ukraine and abroad. Today, about 15 thousand students study at 9 educational and research institutes and 114 departments of the university. Specialists are trained by about 1500 academic staff, including: 200 Doctors of Sciences and Professors, over 900 Candidates of Sciences and Associate Professors, 37 Honoured Workers of Science and Technology and Educators of Ukraine, over 40 winners of State Prizes of Ukraine, three Academicians of the National Academy of Sciences and two Corresponding Members of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, and about 30 Academicians of the sectoral Academies of Sciences of Ukraine.
The university has 40 schools of thought known in Ukraine and abroad. Scientists actively cooperate with 20 institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, including: E.O. Paton Institute of Electric Welding, Institute of Electrodynamics, National Scientific Centre “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology”, B.I. Verkin Institute of Low Temperatures and more than 100 leading manufacturing enterprises, firms and companies.
Numerous scientific schools of the university play an important role in improving the quality of training and providing graduates of NTU “KhPI” with the status of a specialist recognised worldwide. The fundamental research carried out in them is the basis for identifying new strategic directions of scientific and technological progress in promising sectors of the Ukrainian economy. That is, without fundamental research at the university, it is impossible to train bachelors, specialists, and masters, and to ensure the effective work of modern postgraduate and doctoral studies. The core of the development concept is the model of a specialist of the 21st century created at the university. The unity of the educational process with research has always been and remains the main principle of the university. Every year, more than 50% of full-time students are involved in research and development. Students have a unique opportunity to acquire the skills of a research scientist in a major research centre such as NTU “KhPI”. The accumulated scientific knowledge becomes the basis for the formation of new specialities in the priority areas of our country’s economy. During the years of Ukraine’s independence, the number of specialities at the university has grown from 56 to 107.
The research work is concentrated in the research department. The main tasks of the research department are as follows: conducting fundamental research to solve problems of natural, technical, social and human sciences; conducting applied research to solve urgent problems of national economy development; accelerated implementation of research and development results to create new equipment and technology; participation in the development of the latest scientific problems of further development and improvement of higher education in the country; strengthening the links between research and the educational process through a wide range of activities. The Research and Development Centre unites Science Park NTU “KhPI” LLC, Educational and Research Cluster “Polytechnic – 125”, Technology Transfer Centre, Centre for Commercialisation of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, Academic Centre of Competence of the IPM “Smart Commerce”, departments of scientific and technical information and patent and licensing work, standardisation and metrology, Scientific and Technological and Training Centre, five educational and production centres, 46 research laboratories.
The annual volume of research and development work funded by the state budget, economic contracts and international grants exceeds UAH 60 million. The scientific potential of NTU “KPI” is also determined by the Research and Design Institute “Molniya”, the Institute “Ionosphere” and the research complex for the study of gas-dynamic and thermal processes in turbomachines. Their unique experimental facilities are classified as national treasures by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Today, it can be argued that these institutes and the complex, through their activities and scientific potential, create a positive image of Ukraine and domestic universities in the global scientific and educational space. This can be evidenced, for example, by the fact that the UN International Electrotechnical Commission has included high-voltage installations used at the Molniya Institute’s experimental base in the register of unique global test equipment (IEC 61000-4.320).
Molniya is widely known not only in Ukraine but also worldwide as the largest research and testing centre specialising in high voltage engineering, powerful electric and magnetic fields, theory and practice of ensuring electromagnetic compatibility and stability of objects containing radio and electrical equipment. It develops means of counteracting electronic terrorism, natural and artificial lightning, protecting information from unauthorised reading, and ensuring high defence capability of the state. At the Ionosphere Institute, ionospheric research is carried out using reference radiophysical instruments – metre-wave incoherent scattering radars. In the altitude range of 120-1500 km, such characteristics of near-Earth space as electron concentration, temperature of charged particles, ionospheric plasma velocity, and ionic composition are measured. The results of the observations made it possible to gain new knowledge about solar-terrestrial communications, investigate the effects of solar flares and geocosmic storms, and study wave disturbances that occur in the ionosphere during launch vehicles, powerful explosions, and the operation of short-wave radio radiation heating stands.
The scientific significance of the research complex is determined by the advanced areas of experimental and theoretical research of turbomachines. Research is being conducted to determine the basic principles of designing large unit capacity steam turbines and to study turbine engineering problems. New highly economical turbine stages with “reverse twist” and unique wide-mode final stages for high-speed and low-speed turbines with blade lengths of 1030 and 1450 mm were developed. In order to improve turbine efficiency, large-scale research was carried out on the problem of creating wide-mode exhaust pipes, and a new type of instrument for measuring the relative elongation of the turbine rotor was developed. Experimental studies using modern methods allow us to create highly economical stages for newly designed turbines as well as for the modernisation of those in operation at Ukrainian power plants. Over the years of independence, the outstanding scientific developments of NTU “KhPI” have been awarded the State Prizes of Ukraine in Science and Technology, the Borys Paton National Prize of Ukraine, the Presidential Prize for Young Scientists, the Cabinet of Ministers Prize, the NAS Prize for Young Scientists, the NASU Prize and many others.