THE THIRD MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY: POINTS AND TOUCHES OF INTERACTION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE UNIVERSITY. INTERVIEW

Abstract

Avoiding the rhetoric of patriotism and the third mission, universities work with local businesses and influence the territory. As an economic agent, the university creates jobs and socializes vulnerable groups of students. By the very fact of decentralization, intervention in residential or industrial spaces, and on the outskirts of cities, educational institutions are changing the human capital of local residents and implementing regional policies. The smart environment, an attribute of universities, can become a source of change in urban partnerships. But the attitude towards openness, practical results of activities, and ambitions to become a center for socio-cultural development is resisted by those who adhere to the classical version of the university. There is a risk of excessive formalization if the third (or fourth, fifth) mission of the university - influencing society, working with the surrounding area - is formally designated, and this will entail a number of bureaucratic procedures. In the meantime, not only the university clinic, but also the ecological farm, vineyard and craft wine are conceptualized as possible forms of university local business.