SOCIETAL ENGAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION. BUILDING STAKEHOLDERS COOPERATIONS AND REACHING OUT TO EXTERNAL PARTNERS
University of Gdansk (UG) is hosting a Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) event as part of the Horizon Europe project CATALISI (https://catalisi.eu/). CATALISI is a three-year Horizon Europe project designed to support HEIs in implementing strategies for institutional transformation across 14 intervention areas through tailored acceleration services.
This event aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants to advance the cooperation between universities and society, knowledge transfer, and engagement of external partners. The lessons learned and resulting good practices will be spread within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) engaged in the CATALISI project. As a result, HEIs involved will be able to showcase and disseminate results to the broader audience.
The MML will begin with an overview of UG’s practices in engaging, supporting, and maintaining ties with different types of external stakeholders (teachers and students of secondary schools, business partners and business organizations). Special attention will be given to the university’s third mission and its role in providing education and knowledge transfer to society through channels other than simple offer of study programs. Participants will engage in discussions about key challenges and opportunities, addressing critical questions such as:
- What are the most efficient practices in Societal Engagement?
- How can knowledge be disseminated beyond simply offering study programs?
- Which actors should be engaged?
- How can universities meet society’s expectations in carrying out third mission?
- What are the expected benefits to society and the university?
- How to activate business support while carrying out the third mission?
The MML will include not only workshops and discussions but also a “participating observation”. During the date of MML UG will be hosting the finals of the Logistics and Forwarding Olympiad, which is a competition organized by UG and directed at high schools. The MML participants will be able to witness (and ask questions) at different stages of the parallel event.
This will provide a ground for a co-creation workshop, where participants—academics, experts, and stakeholders—will collaborate to identify challenges for promoting, organizing, and carrying out university extra-educational activities. Also, potential solutions can be discussed. This workshop will be continued after all MML-related meetings to set up a list of solutions assigned to challenges they should help to face.
We hope that this session will help UG improve strategies of society engagement and at the same time, other participants will be able to take home some of the best practices identified.