HERE Seminar, titled “Universities’ third mission: Partnering for social and economic development,” aimed to explore the multifaceted contributions of universities to their local ecosystems and also broader development with the emphasis on how universities contribute to addressing societal needs and what universities, though their strategic plans, address these needs and identify ways for maximizing the impact of universities through key topics such as teaching and learning innovation, research, lifelong learning, etc.
This seminar was held on 13-14 May 2024 at the International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During this seminar NEOs, HEREs, EUA SPHERE Team, various European institutions and staff and students from the Uzbekistan shared their experience and expertise on the “third mission” of universities, their societal engagement and contribution to and from society and other elements like changing labor market needs, climate change, the transition into zero carbon emissions economies, digitalization, etc. Kosovo Higher Education Reform Expert, Prof. Bujar Pira attended the seminar and actively engaged in the discussion around two aspects:
The impact of demographic changes in the “third mission” of universities in particular, and
The disbalance between what industry needs and what students want to study.
