Universities-Communities: strengthening cooperation
UNICOM
The UNICOM project has set itself the central goal of promoting the so-called third mission of universities in Ukrainian society. The aim is to develop a national cooperation model between Ukrainian universities and communities, based on proven good practices from Italy, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Latvia, which can be used by national education authorities as a reference for implementing the third mission of universities.
Goals and contents
Together, the UNIKOM partners will develop and test various activities to strengthen the engagement of universities in society and thus make a significant contribution to social cohesion, resilience, and sustainability in Ukraine. The UNICOM partnership will use various methods to achieve this, from compiling best practices in the area of universities' third mission to conducting an in-depth needs analysis in Ukraine to training Ukrainian teachers and public sector employees on the topics of resilience, sustainability, inclusion, entrepreneurship, the environment, health, and social cohesion.
The relevant project results include the following:
- A research paper on the design of a cooperation model between universities and society
- 3 workshops on the topic of “The Third Mission of Universities” for Ukrainian project partners at European partner institutions
- 3 round tables and focus groups on the third mission of universities, conducted in cooperation with Ukrainian universities and actors from public and political life
- A strategy paper and roadmap for political stakeholders in Ukraine on organizing effective cooperation between the academic sector and society
In the long term, the project aims to make a significant contribution to harmonizing the Ukrainian education system with European guiding principles.
