Social responsibility: Universities are shaping the future!

Social responsibility: Universities are shaping the future!

The Catholic University (KU) and the Social Impact Start-up Academy (SISTAC) launched the Uniservitate conference in Ingolstadt on March 9, 2025. The title of the conference “Service-Learning Meets Business Education: Strategies for Effective Integration and Competency Development” offers a platform for exchange between different universities and institutions. Numerous representatives of Catholic universities from around the world have gathered to continue the discussions that began at the Uniservitate symposium in Rome.

A central concern of the event is the further development of the “Third Mission”, i.e. the social responsibility of universities. Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien, President of KU, emphasized the crucial role of knowledge transfer in this mission for Catholic universities. She called the KU an outstanding example of the successful combination of academic studies and commitment to the common good.

Global networks and interdisciplinarity

The KU is one of seven global network nodes in the international service learning project Uniservitate and regularly works with partners from social, cultural, sporting, ecological and educational sectors. During the conference, Prof. Dr. André Habisch and Eva Wack gave a keynote speech that focused on promoting an entrepreneurial mindset and developing key skills.

Another highlight was the lecture by María Rosa Tapia, program coordinator of Uniservitate Argentina, who emphasized the importance of imparting knowledge at eye level. The global Uniservitate symposium, which will take place at KU in November, will further expand and deepen the service-learning idea.

The Role of the Third Mission in Higher Education

The social responsibility of universities goes beyond teaching and research and includes exchange with society and business. In this context, the term “third mission” was defined within the E3M project in 2012 to develop standard indicators. Participatory approaches in science, such as citizen science, expand the understanding of the Third Mission and promote interaction between universities and society.

The BMBWF sees the Third Mission as a cross-sectional issue in the service agreements with public universities. In recent performance periods, numerous Third Mission projects have been agreed, with a focus on universities that are perceived as entrepreneurial and regionally committed. Initiatives that promote entrepreneurial thinking and action serve social benefits and solve complex social challenges.

The concept of the “entrepreneurial university” is anchored in the Austrian University Development Plan (GUEP) 2019-2024 and aims to integrate social responsibility, gender equality, diversity as well as social inclusion and sustainability into higher education. The university is therefore seen not only as a place for knowledge production, but also as an active contributor to social change.

In this dynamic, the further development of the Third Mission is seen as central to ensuring the competitiveness of universities and making a substantial contribution to solving social problems. The Uniservitate conference represents an important step in this direction and illustrates KU's commitment to service-learning and social responsibility.

For further information on the topics of service learning and the third mission, please refer to the individual publications, including “Service Learning – A Concept for the Third Mission” by Altenschmidt and Miller, 2016.

Further details are available on the websites of KU, Pedagogy specialist portal and BMBWF to find.