The Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences evolved in 1956 from the Department of Turbomachinery - an autonomous unit of the Academy, existing already at this time in the premises of the Gdansk University of Technology.
The hydropower-oriented research is conducted at two departments of the Centre for Hydrodynamics. Their activities encompass performance and diagnostic tests of hydraulic equipment in the field and under lab conditions, design concepts of small hydropower installations, design studies of hydraulic machinery and structures (including CFD analyses of selected flow systems), hydraulic transient and residual lifetime assessments of penstocks, specialised expert opinions on hydraulic systems. Design of turbines and/or their components – e.g. runners – is generally restricted to small units.