University and Third Mission
The Third Mission in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHs) based Universities could play a paramount role in the forecasting of emerging societal, technological and environmental changes as well as in the contribution of universities to socio-economic development, employment and the quality of life. Indeed, the SSHs can support the dissemination of academic knowledge and the visibility of the university by maximising the impact of emerging digital technologies.
The Third Mission in SSHs can also valorise both cultural heritage and tourism. Moreover, understanding how universities interact with marginalised actors and communities in informal settings could add a further dimension to the debate on co-creation, i.e. on inclusive development, as part of TM innovation and engagement.
Since 2009, UniMC has drawn up and carried out several TM actions with the aim of offering its services to local actors, while also promoting the international dimension of the university’s activities. UniMC has been engaged in a variety of initiatives as a facilitator between the public and private local actors. In particular, UniMC has focused on tools to boost entrepreneurship by adopting a humanistic approach towards sustainable local development, as well as generating smart, collaborative and interdisciplinary strategies. Among the several initiatives undertaken by UniMC: the Office for the Valorisation of Research - ILO (Industrial Liaison Office) and Placement; CreaHUB, the UniMC co-working space for supporting entrepreneurial ideas in the cultural and creative domain; Culture and Creativity Club, a crowdsourcing contest in the cultural and creative domain; LUCI, Laboratory for Humanism, Creativity and Innovation, which promotes an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial approach among students, graduates, and researchers in the SSHs; and IMpresa INaula, which stimulates students and scholars to collaborate on the development of business ideas, as well as to link teaching and research to the entrepreneurial world.
Read more:
Compagnucci, L., and Spigarelli, F. (2020). The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 161, 120284.
Compagnucci, L., Spigarelli, F., Coelho, J., and Duarte, C. (2021). Living Labs and user engagement for innovation and sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 289, 125721.
Compagnucci, L., Spigarelli, F., Passarini, P., Ferrara, F., Aleffi, C., e Tomasi, S. (2018). Sviluppo Locale e Innovazione in un’Università Basata sulle Scienze Sociali e Umanistiche: Il Caso dell’Università di Macerata. Agricoltura Istituzioni Mercati, 2, pp. 77-107. DOI:10.3280/AIM2018-002006
Compagnucci, Lorenzo. (2020). La CNA e l'Artigianato Maceratese. Appunti di Storie. Errebi Grafiche Ripesi. 1-124