The university can be abbreviated as IzhSTU (ИжГТУ, before 1994 — Ижевский механический институт). It was founded in 1952 in the period of intensive industrial development when there was an increasing demand for highly qualified engineers, capable of managing production processes. On the date of its 60th anniversary, it was named after the legendary small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. At present Kalashnikov IzhSTU is a leading higher educational institution in the region and one of the leading technical schools in Russia, a training center of engineers and academics.