Third Mission in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can be understood as activities where knowledge is generated, exploited, or otherwise applied outside university environments. As such Third Mission activities are distinct from other HEI activities that do not involve interaction with external environments. The Third Mission instead includes a diverse set of interactions with external participants. While the Third Mission is rarely included as a part of considerations on open and responsible research and innovation. However, it is closely related to notions of public engagement, participation, and knowledge transfer from publicly funded organisations to drive innovation.
Our study relies on data collected as a document study of 122 European HEIs, of which nine out of ten HEIs included Third Mission in their main strategic documents and policies. The study evaluates the Third Mission policies and strategies within the HEIs. The documents were analysed with respect to the above understanding of what Third Mission includes, while also remaining open to new elements. This process resulted in the subcategorisation of Third Mission policies into the following categories:
·Entrepreneurship and Technology transfer
·Job market readiness and relevance of student education
·Societal relevance, regional responsibility, and community engagement
·Industry, Government and NGO collaboration and knowledge transfer
·Third Mission overall
The graph below shows how the HEIs work with Third Mission; whether they have an approach based on establishing aims, on supporting work on Third Mission, or if their approach is a combination of supporting work on Third Mission while also having incentives to work with Third Mission.
Overall, ‘Societal relevance, regional responsibility, and community engagement’ is the sub-policy area in which the largest number of HEIs provide either aims, support, or support and incentives. This sub-policy area encompasses aims and measures that aim to support and promote societally relevant research, regional responsibility and community engagement, policy work and the policy relevance of research, and the education of professionals. Two-thirds of the RPOs have policies and provide either aims, support, or support and incentives within the policy area. A total of 45% of the HEIs has policy repertoires focused on aims, while another 14% provides support, often in the form of policy targets. Finally, 17% of HEIs have a sub-policy repertoire consisting of support and incentives. It is often a matter of having a dedicated unit, and providing training, especially in the sub-policy area ‘Education of professionals’.
Within the ‘Industry, Government and NGO collaboration and knowledge transfer’ policy area, 19% of the HEIs have expressed aims, such as the intention to create more collaborative partnerships between the HEI and industry or government. Another 19% of the HEIs provide support within the policy area, often through setting policy targets. A total of 29% of the HEIs provides support and incentives, which includes measures such as having a dedicated unit and/or the availability of supportive infrastructure.
More than half of the HEIs has policies and provides either aims, support, or support and incentives within ‘Entrepreneurship and Technology transfer’. This sub-policy area encompasses entrepreneurship by academics and students, innovation and technology transfer, and overall open innovation, understood as open collaboration focused on marketable inventions. A total 39% of HEIs provides support and incentives, which includes entrepreneurship training, the availability of supportive infrastructure, and/or having a dedicated unit, which would often be a Technology Transfer Office. A total of 8% of the HEIs has policy repertoires where the HEI provides support within the policy area, typically through setting ‘Policy targets’. Finally, 9% of the HEIs expressed aims, mostly within ‘Innovation and Technology transfer’ and ‘Academic Entrepreneurship’ as sub-policy areas.
‘Job market readiness and student education’ is a policy area that encompasses student education, student employability, and student projects, and industrial PhDs and post docs. Within this policy area, 31% of HEIs have policies and provide either aims, support, or support and incentives. The majority of these has expressed aims within student education, student employability, and student projects as a sub-policy area.
‘Third Mission Overall’ is used to describe policies and strategies, where it is either impossible to distinguish between the different aspects of Third Mission, or when the HEIs treat Third Mission as a single entity. Over half of the HEIs has policies and provides either aims, support, or support and incentives within this general policy area, with 28% expressing aims, 9% providing support, and 16% providing support and incentives within Third Mission as a general policy area.
Overall, ‘Societal relevance, regional responsibility, and community engagement’ is the sub-policy area in which the largest number of HEIs provide either aims, support, or support and incentives. This sub-policy area encompasses aims and measures that aim to support and promote societally relevant research, regional responsibility and community engagement, policy work and the policy relevance of research, and the education of professionals. Two-thirds of the RPOs have policies and provide either aims, support, or support and incentives within the policy area. A total of 45% of the HEIs has policy repertoires focused on aims, while another 14% provides support, often in the form of policy targets. Finally, 17% of HEIs have a sub-policy repertoire consisting of support and incentives. It is often a matter of having a dedicated unit, and providing training, especially in the sub-policy area ‘Education of professionals’.
Within the ‘Industry, Government and NGO collaboration and knowledge transfer’ policy area, 19% of the HEIs have expressed aims, such as the intention to create more collaborative partnerships between the HEI and industry or government. Another 19% of the HEIs provide support within the policy area, often through setting policy targets. A total of 29% of the HEIs provides support and incentives, which includes measures such as having a dedicated unit and/or the availability of supportive infrastructure.
More than half of the HEIs has policies and provides either aims, support, or support and incentives within ‘Entrepreneurship and Technology transfer’. This sub-policy area encompasses entrepreneurship by academics and students, innovation and technology transfer, and overall open innovation, understood as open collaboration focused on marketable inventions. A total 39% of HEIs provides support and incentives, which includes entrepreneurship training, the availability of supportive infrastructure, and/or having a dedicated unit, which would often be a Technology Transfer Office. A total of 8% of the HEIs has policy repertoires where the HEI provides support within the policy area, typically through setting ‘Policy targets’. Finally, 9% of the HEIs expressed aims, mostly within ‘Innovation and Technology transfer’ and ‘Academic Entrepreneurship’ as sub-policy areas.
‘Job market readiness and student education’ is a policy area that encompasses student education, student employability, and student projects, and industrial PhDs and post docs. Within this policy area, 31% of HEIs have policies and provide either aims, support, or support and incentives. The majority of these has expressed aims within student education, student employability, and student projects as a sub-policy area.
‘Third Mission Overall’ is used to describe policies and strategies, where it is either impossible to distinguish between the different aspects of Third Mission, or when the HEIs treat Third Mission as a single entity. Over half of the HEIs has policies and provides either aims, support, or support and incentives within this general policy area, with 28% expressing aims, 9% providing support, and 16% providing support and incentives within Third Mission as a general policy area.