Success Stories

Ukraine is blessed with an abundance of mineral resources which continue to be key to the overall development of the economy. In particular, the industries based on titanium have contributed significantly to the country's export profile. A natural consequence is that an elite group of research facilities have emerged over the years with the objective of advancing the economic exploitation of this resource by strengthening titanium-based material designs and developing experimental technologies for new materials manufacture: one of the leaders in this field is the Kurdyumov Institute of Metal Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine located in Kyiv.

Professor Orest Ivasyshyn, a Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and a widely known specialist in titanium alloys and steels, began his collaboration with the STCU soon after the Center was established. His first project, entitled "Titanium Alloys with Stable Mechanical Characteristics for Exploitation in a Wide Temperature Range," led to the full characterization of the rapid-heat-treatment process. He applied this new technology through a second STCU project on brittle fracture research which, in turn, led to a joint project with U.S. and Canadian collaborators. This collaborative effort led to the development of a new, economical method of producing automobile parts made of titanium alloys. Dr. Ivasyshyn currently has Partnership projects with the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development.
Through the STCU's Patent Support Program, Dr. Ivasyshyn has filed four Ukrainian and two US patent applications and is currently in the process of concluding agreements with American automotive firms on a number of commercial R&D projects.