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More and more universities today are recognizing that the third mission is part and parcel of higher education. Universities are striving to engage with society, by partnering with businesses, government institutions, local communities, and other stakeholders. With the support of grantmaking foundations, universities get the opportunity to implement their ideas and projects, thus driving progress and building their reputation as socially responsible institutions. In this article, we expound on how philanthropic organizations take part in formulating and implementing the universities' third mission, drawing on the example of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation – one of the pioneering charity foundations in Russia supporting and developing higher education.

Alexandra Avdeeva

Project manager, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation

THE GLOBAL TREND

Speaking about the third mission, it is best to start with the origin of the term. The evolution of the role of universities in society and the aspiration to establish a more “socially oriented university” underpins the history of this concept (Shek & Hollister, 2017). Emerging during the latter half of the 20th century, the term was coined to reflect the expansion of universities’ functions beyond education and academic knowledge (Kudryashova & Sorokin, 2019). “Third Mission Indicators for New Ranking Methodologies” by M. Marhl and A. Pausist is considered to be the classic work on this topic, in which the third mission is defined as “a collection of specific services based on actions and opportunities that serve the public good” (Marhl & Pausist, 2013). In contemporary practice, the third mission is usually associated with such aspects of university activities as technology transfer, engagement with businesses, developing and implementing innovations in the social sphere, partnerships with local communities and authorities to achieve public good (Kudryashova, Sorokin & Bugaenko, 2020).

Indeed, a universally accepted definition of the third mission is yet to be formulated, thereby affording ample scope for scholarly deliberation (Kudryashova & Sorokin, 2020).[64]

The quest for avenues to comprehend and implement the third mission of universities is a global trend. However, its local contextual nuances are largely shaped by the distinctive attributes of each university, the influence of the state on education, the level of entrepreneurial development in the country, and other factors (Balmasova, 2015).

Russian scholars introduced the term third mission into academic discourse in the 2010s. Various definitions of the term, along with divergent perspectives on the concept, are presented in works by O. V. Perfilieva (2011), N. A. Medushevsky (2016), I. V. Golovko (2018), and others.

Presently, it can be observed that the discourse surrounding the third mission in Russia has transcended the confines of a narrowly specialized scientific field and taken on the nature of a wide-ranging public discussion. The topic is now on everyone’s lips – from ministers and rectors of prominent universities to entrepreneurs, journalists, and, naturally, representatives of the third sector of the economy – managers and personnel of non-profit organizations.

THE THIRD SECTOR AS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO IMPLEMENTING THE THIRD MISSION

Non-profit organizations (NGOs), including charitable foundations and public associations, are essential contributors to the discourse concerning universities’ third mission: both academic institutions and NGOs are actively engaged in addressing contemporary acute social issues (Medushevsky, 2016). This means that in order to achieve the public good, cooperation between nonprofits and universities can be mutually beneficial and productive, for what is the essence of the third mission if not a collective endeavor to respond to the prevailing public demand?

Non-profit organizations serve as a link connecting higher education to various sectors of the society. Collaborative research projects, educational and volunteer programs, student internships, public events – these are but a few of the possible cooperation forms between universities and NGOs.

Furthermore, philanthropic organizations are actively engaging students in volunteer internships and pro bono undertakings. This allows young people to garner crucial early-career work experience and gives them an opportunity to perceive and analyze career paths within the realm of the non-profit sector.

Expanding partnerships between universities and NGOs is one of the pivotal work areas for the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. Below we will delve into the programs executed by the Foundation within this sphere.

FROM LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS TO FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS

A scholarship program is a common form of grantmaking organizations’ involvement in supporting the university community. Meanwhile, this form of support has much more potential than meets the eye. For example, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation goes beyond merely providing financial assistance to outstanding students. It is also a competition of social projects, volunteer programs, the development of new educational programs and training courses, skill enhancement, etc.

The Fellowship Program of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation took off in the early 2000s with local “Northern Scholarships” for exceptional students from Norilsk studying at Russian universities. Thus, years before the discussion of the third mission emerged within the Russian scientific realm, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation had already begun addressing the associated problems, anticipating the vector of the socially oriented development of universities – as oftentimes the term defining a phenomenon gets coined long after the phenomenon itself has taken root.

The Fellowship Program evolved and transformed over time. Today, it includes a personal scholarship competition for students of 75 universities participating in the program, as well as a number of other initiatives, such as the Foundation School – an annual event for Fellowship Program participants aimed at fortifying the Foundation’s community and developing social competencies and soft skills among fellows and grantees.

Since its foundation and up to the present day, social responsibility has been, and continues to be, one of the central and defining aspects of the Fellowship Program. It was the notion of social responsibility that became the cornerstone of the revamped format of the Foundation School in 2021, which for the first time was conducted in an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the focal theme of the School revolved around the quest for novel approaches to addressing socially significant challenges. Participating students from Russian universities were provided with real-life appeals from the non-profit sector to solve issues aimed at positive changes in local communities and the work of NGOs. The School’s activity culminated in a competition showcasing socially significant projects undertaken by students. Subsequently, the teachers joined this initiative, reshaping these socially-oriented endeavors into collaborative team efforts rather than individual pursuits, garnering support from universities.

In 2023, for the second year in a row, the Foundation School is being held in the format of volunteer camps in protected areas and cultural heritage sites across Russia. A total of 200 students and teachers, winners of the Fellowship Program grant competition, have ventured into Russia’s protected territories and cultural heritage sites as volunteers. Their mission entails addressing pressing challenges such as trail making, infrastructure repairs, landscape enhancements, etc.

Among the Foundation’s initiatives directed towards fostering the development and dissemination of the principles inherent in the third mission concept is a grant competition for university teachers. This competition significantly influences the advancement of the third mission by fostering professional communities and encouraging collaboration with external partners in the development and implementation of educational products.

An illustrative example of community engagement, introducing students to potential career avenues within the non-profit sector, enhancing NGO professionalism, and meeting regional demands for skilled personnel is the launch of a new training course tailored for law students at P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University. The main objective of the course was to involve students in the work of public organizations in Yaroslavl Region. The course was developed with the support of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation: in 2016, the project won a grant competition for university teachers. The course is designed to address the lack of interest in the non-profit sector as a source of employment for law students entering the job market. At the same time, a number of organizations in the region, in particular, the Yaroslavl Region Department of the Ministry of Justice of Russia and the Yaroslavl Region Department of Public Relations, were experiencing a systemic shortage of personnel familiar with the NGO activities.

In addition to traditional training sessions, the course included internships based on collaboration with various organizations. Cooperation agreements were signed with the Public Chamber of the Yaroslavl Region, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Yaroslavl Region, the Yaroslavl Regional Branch of the Russian Lawyers Association and other organizations. During their studies, students visited organizations ready to accept future lawyers for internships, and communicated with professionals from the civil sector. More than 30 students completed internships in the office of the Yaroslavl Region Commissioner for Human Rights, while more than 20 students underwent internships at the Resource Center for Non-Profit Organizations of the Yaroslavl Region. This course opens up novel avenues for young individuals to put their newly acquired knowledge to practice and substantially broadens their understanding of potential career opportunities.

FINDING OWN WAYS: SUPPORTING PRIVATE UNIVERSITY INITIATIVES

Each university seeks and finds its own ways, opportunities and resources to fulfilling the third mission, and the Vladimir Potanin Foundation can present many interesting examples of supporting universities in implementing socially responsible initiatives – not only through individual scholarships, but also through project grants.

One such example is the Granite of Science project at Tomsk State University. Its goal is to create a new cultural environment in Siberia. The space brings together education and creativity, communications and new technologies, charity and volunteering. The project team conducts activities in three areas. At the “Science Slam TSU” battle, academics popularize science to a wide audience through the prism of their own experience and share the “behind the scenes” secrets of research work. The “Scientific Volunteering” direction allows volunteers to try their hand at real research work – collecting or processing data, conducting surveys, etc. Finally, the third direction – “Science and Art” – offers an opportunity to engage with science through artistic images, emotions, and sensations: visitors of Art & Science exhibitions acquaint themselves with the latest discoveries, achievements, technologies, and their impact on daily life.

With the support of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, the Institute of Social and Economic Design of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (ISEP HSE) held a two-month accelerator program “The Third Mission of the University for the Development of Cities and Regions” in 2023. Eight universities were shortlisted to participate in the program: Altai State University, Volgograd State University, Murmansk Arctic State University, Petrozavodsk State University, Volga Region Academy of Education and Arts named after St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, South Ural State University, P. G. Demidov Yaroslavl State University. The accelerator’s purpose is to support universities in the implementation of the third mission by expanding collaboration with non-profit organizations, municipal and regional administrations, businesses, as well as by reinforcing cross-sector intra-university partnerships.

CREATIVE SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN FOUNDATIONS AND UNIVERSITIES

The above examples from the experience and practice of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation describe only a small part of the possible areas of work within the discourse on the development of the third mission. In reality, the formats and approaches to its implementation are literally countless. The Foundation has been working on this for more than two decades, and while initially the third mission support was limited to individual student scholarships, today universities themselves are increasingly active and inventive in developing formats for social initiatives, scaling them up, making them more complex and reproducing them on their own.

Universities are therefore becoming reliable and competent partners for grant-making organizations and private foundations. Thanks to mutually beneficial cooperation between universities and nonprofits, socially important goals can be achieved with maximum efficiency.

As a result of interacting with the universities, foundations gain access to their academic potential. This enables grant providers to focus their efforts on specific areas of expertise, supporting projects and programs that contribute to addressing urgent societal challenges. In turn, universities receive support for advancing research, diversifying, and enriching the educational process. In addition, non-profit organizations help young specialists to acquire sought-after professional skills, enabling them to step into the job market after graduation while fully revealing their potential.

Together, charitable foundations and universities are capable of constructing resilient connections bridging the academic realm and society’s genuine needs. This involves translating scientific achievements into practice, impacting the quality of people’s lives, fostering technological advancements, and seeking solutions to global challenges. Thus, the collaboration between charitable foundations and universities is a creative symbiosis that advances social progress and leads to sustainable positive change in the world.

REFERENCES

1. Shek, D. T. L. & Hollister, R. M. (2017). University Social Responsibility and Quality of Life (Vol. 8). Springer Nature Singapore Pte Limited.

2. Balmasova, T. A. (2015). The University’s Third Mission in the Conditions of Modernization of Russian Education. Topical Issues of Social Sciences: Sociology, Political Science, Philosophy, History, 11(51), 36–41.

3. Balmasova, T. A. (2016). The University’s Third Mission: A New Development Vector? Higher Education in Russia, (8–9), 48–55.

4. Golovko, I. V., Zinevich, O. V. & Ruzankina, E. A. (2018). The University’s Third Mission and the Multi-User Governance Model for Regional Development.

Comparative politics. Russia, 9(1), 5–7. http://dx.doi. org/10.18611/2221–3279–2018–9–1–5–17

5. Kudryashova, E. V. & Sorokin, S. E. (2019). The “Third Mission” in the Development Programs of Russian Universities (Using the Example of Universities in the North-West Federal District). Knowledge, Understanding, Skill, (4), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.17805/zpu.2019.4.6

6. Kudryashova, E. V. & Sorokin, S. E. (2020). The Universities’ Third Mission as a Subject of Scientific Analysis. Bulletin of Vyatka State University, 136(2), 17–23. https://doi. org/10.25730/VSU.7606.20.020

7. Marhl, M. & Pausist, A. (2013). Third Mission Indicators for New Ranking Methodologies. Continuing Education: 21st century, 1. Retrieved from: http://lll21.petrsu.ru/journal/ article.php?id=1949 (Accessed: 27.07.2023). http://dx.doi. org/10.15393/j5.art.2013.1949

8. Medushevsky, N. A. (2016). Interpreting the Universities’ Third Role at the Contemporary Stage. Bulletin of the Russian State University of Humanities. Series: Political Science. History. International Relations. Foreign Regional Studies. Oriental Studies, (3), 19–31.

9. Perfilyeva O. V. (2011). University and the Region: Towards the Implementation of the Third Function. Bulletin of International Organizations, (1), 133–144.