University of Gdańsk’s MML Workshop and Twinning Exchange

The University of Gdańsk recently hosted two significant events as part of the CATALISI project: a Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) workshop and a Twinning Exchange. Both initiatives focused on strengthening the societal engagement and “third mission” of higher education institutions, fostering collaboration, and sharing best practices in knowledge transfer and stakeholder involvement.

MML Workshop: Social Engagement in Higher Education

The MML Workshop, titled “Social engagement in Higher Education: Building stakeholders cooperations and reaching out to external partners,” with the representatives from academia (including a Vice-Dean, administrative staff, and researchers), a policy body/governmental institution, civil society organisation , and 3 managers from industry. The workshop aimed to enhance societal engagement in higher education by fostering strong cooperation between universities and external partners such as businesses, schools, NGOs, and public institutions. A central theme was exploring the university’s “third mission”—its role in contributing to society beyond traditional teaching and research. Key topics included:

Best Practices: The event showcased the university’s successful educational outreach initiatives, particularly the Logistics and Forwarding Olympiad, a national competition involving over a hundred external stakeholders.
Co-creation Workshops: Participants identified key barriers to stakeholder engagement, such as administrative constraints, differing expectations, and lack of incentives. They co-developed solutions and tools to overcome these obstacles, including improved partnership models and targeted communication strategies.
Business Engagement: The session explored how universities can build and sustain partnerships with the private sector. This highlighted the importance of mutual understanding and shared value creation, with discussions on how businesses can support academic activities, foster innovation, and contribute to regional development.

Twinning Exchange: Public Engagement and Open Science

The exchange primarily focused on public engagement with and outreach to society to solve social challenges, with a specific emphasis on Open Science practices. Highlights included:

Faculty of Economics Tour: The event began with a session at the Faculty of Economics, showcasing the university’s actions for society, including tours of labs, student areas, and discussions on the Experts Council and other initiatives.

Open Science at the University Library: Participants visited the University Library to learn about Open Science initiatives and society-oriented projects. Participants shared different perspectives and good practices for disseminating research findings openly to the general public.

Dissemination: Visits to the Mini-Museum of Amber and the University Radio Mors studio demonstrated innovative ways to leverage academic spaces and media platforms for broader public engagement, promoting the concept of a “university for society.”

Both the MML workshop and the Twinning Exchange at the University of Gdańsk demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the societal engagement and “third mission” of higher education institutions. The events improve knowledge transfer and enhance institutional transformation. The University of Gdańsk plans to integrate these insights into its institutional strategy, and aims to replicate the successful MML workshop format for other strategic initiatives in the future.