The Institute possesses all possible authorisations and academic rights, including rights to confer the title of full professor in the area of mechanics as well as machine construction and exploitation.

Our main scientific task is concentrated on energy conversion in flows. This constitutes the fundamental research in the Institute. In the last years we changed our scientific policy and we started to build a new scientific specialization - small-scale distributed power engineering based on renewable energy sources, especially home cogeneration power plants.

The Institute was established as The European Centre of Exellence in the branch of clean and safe technologies in power engineering and as a leader of the largest projects in Poland in a field of renewable energy sources. It is worth to highlight that Institute is a leader of three European FP7 projects and also work package leader in other European projects.

The largest and most important Polish cluster BKEE is coordinated  by the Institute. It was awarded by „Green Phoenix”.

Institute was also prized as „Quality of the 2010 year” in category of research projects. Detailed list of projects is below (point V).

Facing government’s policy towards cutting state funds for basic research (less than 40% of Institute’s budget), the IFFM searches for other sources of financing, which means increasing practical activity and applications.

The Institute is fully adapted to the new European energy regulations. We adjusted our policy accordingly in order to have an opportunity to gain new funds.

We focus on high efficiency of distributed heat & power cogeneration (efficiency up to  90%) to take part in stimulating the high-tech/modern technology in our industry.

We work on new problems connected with microturbines, boilers, conversion of biogas, solar and wind energy. We combine fundamental research with practical application. Every second researcher working at the Institute acquires one contract from  industry each year. This is the highest indicator in the Polish Academy of Sciences.

A combination of basic and applied work is our motto and challenge.

Disciplines represented at the Institute:

• distributed heat & power generation in a small scale based on renewable resources,
• CHP technology,
• plus energy technologies for private buildings,
• energy storage,
• photovoltaics,
• wind and water turbines,
• exploitation and thermal-hydraulic diagnostics of steam turbines,
• machine mechanics (computer analysis, vibrations, rotor dynamics, model- base  diagnostics, expert systems),
• high-temperature gasification and gas/syngas cogeneration,
• rotor dynamic modeling, design and testing,
• fuel cells and hydrogen/biogas cogeneration,
• aerodynamics and aviation, new materials, condition monitoring and smart structures, plasma and laser engineering and small hydro power plants.
• Smart Grids.

We have a great experience in the field of biomass energy and renewable energy sources in many projects on national and international level.
The Institute is a leader of the following projects:

1. "Advanced Technologies for Energy Generation: Developing Integrated Technologies of Fuel and Energy Production from Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Other Resources"

This is the largest research project in our country based on scientific-industrial corporation. We conduct this project together with one of the greatest energy company in Poland – ENERGA SA and several Polish universities and research institutes. 
Project`s goals:

• developing technologies of electricity and heat from biomass and waste using methods of gasification, pyrolysis and biological conversion (including fuel cells)
• developing of efficient ways of liquid fuels production from biomass or agricultural wastes (biomass waste)

2. "Model agroenergy complexes as an example of distributed cogeneration based on local renewable energy sources"

This is a large government project dealing with a wide spectrum of tasks which are necessary for elaboration and design of model agroenergy complexes, making use of modern technologies of biogas production as well as distributed heat and power generation in a small scale.

3. "Centre of Renewable Energy in Jablonna" - Polish Academy of Sciences Research Centre (close to Warsaw).

We are building a large and modern research centre which is intended to be a laboratory base in which the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences will carry out research investigations and cooperate with other centres of the Polish Academy of Sciences, universities, R & D entities as well as with the leading companies of the energy sector.

The project is funded by the European Union and Polish government. Modern technologies for plus energy houses  and small CHP devices (power plants) will also be exhibited at the Centre.

Research objectives of the Centre:

New technologies of energy and heat production, cogeneration of energy obtained from different sources, methods of heat storage and waste heat utilization,  standardisation of measurement methods in distributed energy generation, certification methods for equipment used in renewable energy generation, rationalisation of energy consumption and implementation of smart-grid systems for intelligent houses and “Autonomous Energetic Regions”. Also integration of different  energy production technologies (solar cells, wind turbines, biomass boilers,  heat pumps, fuel cells) in small - scale power plants.

4. Baltic Eco-Energy Cluster (BEEC) - Green Alternative for the Northern Poland Macroregion.

Cluster`s BEEC purpose is to introduce and promote a widely understood idea of distributed co-generation simultaneously small and medium scale production of thermal energy and electricity from renewable energy sources, mainly biomass, but also by converting water, solar and wind energy. http://www.imp.gda.pl/en/beec/

Three of FP7 projects are coordinated by the IFFM on a European scale: 

5. ENCOMB – Extended Non-Destructive Testing for Composite Bonds.

As a medium-scale European Consortium funded within the 7th Framework Programme, ENCOMB brings together leading experts in aeronautics research and development from nine European countries. Driven by central problems within the aeronautics industry, represented in the Consortium by Airbus and EADS, ENCOMB aims at providing advanced non-destructive testing methods for reliable quality assurance of adhesive bonds of CFRP structural components. http://www.encomb.eu/

6. STA-DY-WI-CO-7 – STAtic and DYnamic piezo-driven streamWIse vortex generators for active flow.

This is Marie Curie IAPP transfer of knowledge programme involving two partners, the Institute of Fluid - Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences and LMS International in Belgium.

This four year exchange programme for the best quality early stage and experienced researchers from industry and academia will combine expertise from fluid dynamics, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), experimental techniques and numerical modelling of fluid-structure coupled physical phenomena. http://stadywico.eu/

7. IMESCON-Innovative Methods of Separated Flow in Aeronautics

The IMESCON network is a high quality training network to produce well qualified researchers in the area of active flow control and new helicopter technology. This training programme of early stage and experienced researchers from industry and academia will combine expertise from fluid dynamics, composite material, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), experimental techniques and numerical modelling of coupled multiple simultaneous physical phenomena. http://imescon.eu/

There are numerous projects where the Institute is a work package leader or project partner:

8. Bioenergy Promotion (Baltic Sea Region Programme)

The project aims at strengthening the development towards a sustainable, competitive and territorially integrated Baltic Sea Region in the field of sustainable use of bio-energy. The project will serve as the major BSR wide platform for cross-sectoral and transnational networking to facilitate information and knowledge exchange, coordinated policy development and design and application of bio-energy promoting instruments, as well as regional development. The main outputs of the project were strongly recognised by Joint Technical Secretariat, who approved it as a “strategic project” and supported the extension stage – Bioenergy Promotion 2. The IFFM is a work package leader in both projects. http://www.imp.gda.pl/bioenergy/a/english.htm

9. PEA – Public Energy Alternatives

Main aim of the PEA project is to foster regional development through energy related improvement of added value chains. Regional profiles are being worked out that positively affect the economic situation of regions. This includes reflecting on the value added chains and a holistic consideration of regions. The aim of PEA is to collect, exchange and translate new solutions and to make them usable for regions all over the Baltic Sea Region. This is also fostered by new training modules for energy related staff (e.g. facility manager) and other users and decision makers, enabling them to implement and further develop strategies and measures. Main outputs will be the Regional Energy Strategies and their actual implementation, the Baltic Energy Compendium that will be a comprehensive guide to rethinking and remodelling regional energy politics, the Baltic Energy Declaration that commits the participating regions and organisation to further cooperation in the Baltic Energy Council that will continue the work started with PEA well beyond the project lifetime all together resulting in more attractive and competitive partner cities and well approved experiences for the BSR. http://www.imp.gda.pl/pea/

10. ERICA - Engine representative internal cooling knowledge and applications

11. FACTOR - Full Aero - thermal Combustor - Turbine interaction Research

12. GREENAIR - Generation of Hydrogen by Kerosene Reforming via efficient and low emission new alternative, refined technologies for aircraft application

13. PlasTEP Baltic Region Sea Program - Dissemination and fostering of plasma based technological innovation for environment protection in BSR

14. PlasmAero -Useful Plasma for Aerodynamic Control

15. TLC - Towards Lean Combustion

16. Centre of Advanced Technology “RIMAMI” (Risk Managing Ambient Intelligence) which is the consortium consisting over 20 most important Polish universities, research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences as well as large industrial Polish consortia dealing with power engineering.

17. Centre of Excellence for renewable sources and clean conversion of energy “CLEANERPAS” financed under 5 Frame Programme;

18. Polish Scientific Network “Eco-Energy” gathering the most important energy-related research institutions dealing with energy and power engineering problems;

19. DIADYN – one of the largest energy related government projects with about 40 research teams from various institutes and universities involved in its implementation, leaded and coordinated also by the IFFM PASci.