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Measuring universities’ engagement: a revision of the European research projects and the actual use of the so-called ‘third mission’ indicators

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  • Eva María de la Torre
  • Fernando Casani
  • Carmen Pérez Esparrells

Abstract

Resumen:En la actualidad se considera que la tercera misión o el compromiso socio-económico de las universidades y su interacción con sus respectivos territorios es una de sus misiones fundamentales. Sin embargo, dicha tercera misión continúa siendo un concepto ambiguo, no existiendo consenso sobre su definición y sistema de indicadores. Ello reduce la visibilidad de las contribuciones socio-económicas de las universidades en sus territorios. Este estudio revisa la amplia variedad de los indicadores teóricos propuestos en Europa, así como su restringido uso empírico. Nuestra revisión muestra que estos indicadores son muy heterogéneos, caracterizando principalmente la transferencia e innovación tecnológica.Abstract:Nowadays, the interaction between universities and their territories (engagement or third mission) is considered a core mission of universities whatever the country and the policymaker. Still, this third mission is an ambiguous notion and there is no consensus in the scientific community about its definition and system of indicators, hindering the visibility of universities’ socioeconomic contributions to their territories. This paper revises the wide variety of indicators proposed theoretically in Europe as well as the actual restricted use in empirical studies. Our revision shows that both theoretical and used indicators are strongly heterogeneous and biased towards technology transfer and innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva María de la Torre & Fernando Casani & Carmen Pérez Esparrells, 2021. "Measuring universities’ engagement: a revision of the European research projects and the actual use of the so-called ‘third mission’ indicators," Revista de Estudios Regionales, Universidades Públicas de Andalucía, vol. 1, pages 97-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:rer:articu:v:1:y:2021:p:97-128
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