To successfully be engaged, it is important for universities to go beyond the traditional idea of research and education as their sole missions. Often, universities see these two missions as something separated by the so-called Third Mission, encompassing those activities through which universities generate impact (economic, financial, social, cultural) for the surrounding society at large.
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Engagement is crucial for universities, especially when it comes to interactions with the local territory. A university does not lie in an empty space. There is a mutual relationship between the territory and the university. One shapes the other and vice versa, modelling ecosystem’s relationships. Yet, Lambert’s Report (HM Treasury, 2003: 14) was right by saying that
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Asset mapping is the process of identifying, documenting and systematizing the existing resources, strengths, and benefits of an entity, such as an organization or a community, to incorporate them into the decision making and development work (Baird, n.d.; What is Asset Mapping?, 2004; Shahid, Vaska & Turin 2019). It is a “capacity-focused” and “strength-based” approach
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Why KTO employees’ motivation is crucial The Engagement Readiness Project aims to improve universities’ readiness to collaborate with businesses. As highlighted in the Engagement Readiness Investigation Report (2021), Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTO) can play a key role in promoting university-industry collaborations (Villani et al., 2017) and, therefore, improving universities’ readiness. It has been recognized that
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The past two years have exemplified the new social change facing societies at large. The apparent transformations in the climate, the growth of technologies and sciences, increasing urbanization, globalization and increased mobility have met the global pandemic and now even a global security threat. These developments, and especially their interconnectedness, complexity and the universal scale,
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