The process of transformation of the national economy from a command economy to the market one continues in Ukraine. Modern market mechanisms are being actively formed in this country and the education sector constitutes no exception to the above process. Competition in the realm of education is inherent to all market economies. What matters is the very high quality of education, which is the main competitive advantage for attracting those who want to get an education at a particular university.
In the modern world, the rankings of higher education institutions (HEIs) serve as the beacons that help young people choose judiciously their dream university. Getting into a major global ranking has considerable influence on the status of a university and its financial condition. Investors favor successful, promising universities by pumping funds into their best projects.
Every year the Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI) named for Igor Sikorsky submits data to many international university rankings such as QS World University Rankings, THE World University Rankings, U-Multirank ranking, etc. According to Prof. Sergey Shukayev, head of the KPI International Projects Office, although each of these rankings has its own characteristics, almost all of them have indicators that can be related to the university's internationalization process. The analysis of these indicators showed that the key direction of the development of KPI lies in deepening of the university's internationalization and strengthening of the international component in all constituents of its activities. In particular, attracting more international students, inviting well-known international scientists and professors to participate in the educational process, as well as expanding the participation of the university staff in international projects.
Internationalization of higher education is one of the key world trends. Therefore, the exchange of experience and the study of best practices in this area are important for many universities.
The internationalization of higher education institutions develops in the direction of establishing comprehensive international cooperation, becoming a strategic goal not only for universities, but also for the world community as a whole.
Unfortunately, the share of the universities, which are actively involved in international educational processes in Ukraine, leaves much to be desired. Thus, only seven out of 282 universities operating in Ukraine (less than 2.5%) are included in World University Rankings such as THE and QS. When Ukraine became the associate member of Horizon 2020 in 2015, they have since won 135 projects worth about 26 million euros. Overall, only 18 Ukrainian universities (6% of the total) participate in Horizon 2020 projects. The development of academic mobility assumes the important aspect of the internationalization of universities. Owing to the active implementation of the EU Programme Erasmus+ in Ukraine, the significant part of Ukrainian universities can participate in it. In particular, 179 universities (63%) participate in Credit Mobility Projects, 101 universities (36%) take part in projects related to capacity building in higher education, nine universities (3%) in joint master's degree programs and 36 (13%) in Jean Monnet Projects.
The Ukrainian HEIs, which provide training for international students, increase in number year after year: there were 185 such HEIs in 2015-2016, and their number reached 239 in the last academic year. As of January 1, 2018, 66,310 foreigners from 147 countries (almost the same number of Ukrainians receive education abroad) studied in Ukraine. Most entrants (16.4% and 11.3%) come from India and Azerbaijan respectively. Over the course of a year the number of international students, who study in Ukraine, increased by 10,000 to 75,605 in March 2019. The relatively low prices of accommodations and tuition fees in Ukraine, as well as country's proximity to the European Union, attract international students.
The concept of the internationalization of higher education lacks elaboration within the Ukrainian legal framework. In fact, the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education" does not contain the concept of the internationalization of higher education, but it includes the principles of "international integration and integration of the higher education system of Ukraine into the European Higher Education Area" among the principles that form the basis of state policy in this area. At the same time, the Law stipulates that one of the main tasks of a higher education institution is “the establishment of international relations and implementation of international activities in the realm of education, science, sports, arts and culture”. In addition, the Law promotes the development of international cooperation at universities by taking account of the level of integration into the global education and research area when granting research status to a university.
In general, the Law of Ukraine on Higher Education lays the foundation for the implementation of various forms of internationalization of the Ukrainian higher education system, particularly such parts as academic mobility, use of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), recognition of foreign qualifications.
In 2017 the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine put forward the initiative to work out and implement the comprehensive strategy of internationalization, as the direction of strategic development, by higher education institutions. The KPI was one of the first HEIs to apply this strategy.
A leading role in the practical implementation of the internationalization process of higher education belongs not only to the state institutions that work out the relevant national strategies of the internationalization of higher education. An important role in the effective implementation of international cooperation belongs to the universities, which are actively designing the strategies of the internationalization of their activities.
The KPI has drawn up and is carrying out the Internationalization Program. In recent years the KPI has put in place a strategically important system to improve its positions in the international rankings and adopt the world best practices in education, science and innovation. Thus, the International Collaboration Department, together with other KPI departments, initiated the formation of a number of task-oriented working groups, in particular, to deepen internationalization, analyze international proposals in terms of their investment attractiveness, as well as to strengthen KPI positions in the international university rankings. These working groups are supposed to monitor and analyze the current situation in specific areas and recommend the university administration measures to rectify the situation. As the important step, the Board of Science and Innovation Studies adopted the practice of encouraging the KPI staff to publish their works in journals included in the bibliographic databases of SCOPUS and Web of Science.
Advanced research is international today. The tools to measure the results of research are their citations in international journals. Under the circumstances, investment in international partnerships and cooperation in research are vital to any university seeking to reach a world-class level. The main mechanism for the expansion of international cooperation in the scientific field is participation in the international programs of scientific and technical cooperation whose characteristic feature is keen competition. Winning such competitions, particularly calls within Horizon 2020, requires the knowledge and skills that KPI scientists sometimes lack. It is necessary to have a clear understanding about opportunities and requirements provided for in these programs, skills in submitting applications, the ability to protect intellectual property, figure out legal and financial aspects, have a good command of English. Overcoming these barriers is a necessary step in order to engage in breakthrough research conducted by leading European and international scientific institutions.
One of the ways of expanding international cooperation in the field of scientific research is to promote the mobility of students, the teaching and administrative staff.
EU programs have been actively implemented in Ukraine since 2015, particularly those that have considerable impact on human development: Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020. Thanks to these programs, the KPI has seen a positive trend in international mobility in recent years: 209 students and 16 postgraduates studied at partner universities in 2018. According to the KPI Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project database, the Igor Sikorsky KPI in conjunction with various partners has been participating in 123 mobility projects from 2015 to July 2019.
The amount of international contacts made in 2018 testifies to the intense overall activity of the University in the international realm. Indeed, 243 international events were held last year, including 66 international conferences. Participation in international projects is up: 66 international scientific projects were implemented last year, totaling 185 together with educational ones. Among them are projects under the programs Horizon 2020, NATO, ERASMUS+, DAAD, and EURASIA.
Implementation of the international projects played a very important role in the development of KPI as a stable environment for interaction between science and business, scientists, engineers, and inventors. One of the fundamental principles of this environment is openness to adoption and use of the best international practices, the development of international cooperation and achievement of the world-class practical results.
For the first time in Ukraine, a delegation of international experts visited Igor Sikorsky KPI in June 2019 to accredit one of the specialties pursued at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering. This experience is unique not only for the University but also for Ukraine as a whole. Receiving international accreditation is the path that other specialties and universities will pursue in order to sustain competition both on a nation- and world-wide scale.
The University is expanding the practice of double diploma programs, when graduates receive diplomas from partner universities simultaneously with a KPI diploma. Currently, the KPI is already cooperating in 17 of them with universities from 10 countries. These programs are seen as international recognition for the quality of training specialists who pursue various specialties. Given that master's theses are defended before the examination committees of partner universities, the University undergoes the critical external international assessment of the educational process.
The University is pursuing marketing strategies in the international scientific and educational services market. One of them is aimed at seeking out directions in which departments can offer educational or scientific services and whereby put forward proposals to leading international companies.
The implementation of the strategy of internationalization produces tangible results for a university, which compare favorably with other Ukrainian higher education institutions, as well as ensures leading positions in the national and international university rankings.
The international activities of a modern university are multifaceted. The expansion of international cooperation influences all activities and the development of a university: the modern standards of higher education and educational techniques are applied, new training programs drawn up, the quality of training of specialists and the skills of research and educational personnel improved; the scientific potential of the teaching staff and students built up, joint research ensured, international conferences held, etc.; the material and technical base of a university improved; the positive image of a university formed in Ukraine and abroad, as well as its competitive advantages enhanced.
The KPI seeks out long-term cooperation with universities, business entities, research institutions, investors and other stockholders to form an alliance geared to the synergies that are mutually beneficial for all.
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