Project goals and objectives:
General objective: To enhance universities’ social role through boosting university-community engagement leading to the elaboration of state policy on supporting the third mission of universities for ensuring social cohesion, resilience, sustainability and prosperity in Ukraine.

Specific objectives:
− To develop and to discuss national policy on enhancing third mission of universities and community-university cooperation (indicators: a policy paper; a road map, national guidelines, a research published);
− To develop the model strategies for relations between Universities and communities based on their
needs and aimed to enhance civic activism and cititzen’s engagement based on principles of
equality, solidarity, non-discrimination and inclusion and to pilot them in the HEIs and communities involved (indicators: 7 on Ukrainian universities’ visions on the cooperation with the communities in terms of their social responsibility and university development strategies);
− To foster the cooperation between the project target groups and stakeholders on university-community cooperation based on European experiences and practices in the field of inclusion gender equality, cyber security and digitalization, ecology, and civic education, etc. (indicators: community empowerment programme, 3 hackathons, 2 volunteering programs);
− To increase the social responsibility and community engagement of universities through raising their capacities in the area of community development and local leadership (indicators: a joint reports on the needs of the communities and their expectations from the cooperation with the HEIs);
− To foster the cooperation between the project target groups and stakeholders on university-community cooperation based on European experiences and practices (indicators:
research/experience exchange visits to European partners and internally for experience exchange
and cooperation; the number of participants at the project events and mobilities performed;
training programs and relevant teaching materials for the project teaching component, a future
summit);
− To ensure the qualitative project implementation in line with best European practices as to the
academic content and project management;
− To ensure proper cooperation between PI, target groups, and stakeholders in order to implement
project dully and timely to report to European and national authorities.

Activities:
− Research and Experience sharing
− Third Mission of Universities: Policy Approaches and Recommendations for Ukraine
− Piloting Models of the University-Community Cooperation
− Roadmap on enhancing third mission of universities through the higher education reform in Ukraine
− Dissemination and Exploitation
− Quality Assurance and Monitoring
− Management

Expected results:
– a practical guide for the effective implementation of the third mission of universities through cooperation between the university and the community;
– a practical guide and methods for assessing community needs and an updated analysis of community needs were developed at Ukrainian universities;
– management of the development of social responsibility strategies (the third mission of the university) and developed strategies of social responsibility in each Ukrainian university for further distribution in Ukraine at the national level;
– UniCom centers for universities and local communities of Ukraine, where, under the guidance of teachers who train future inventors, entrepreneurs, educators, engineers and managers, as well as representatives of local communities, they will work together to develop skills and qualities and solve problems facing society. The above project results are expected to help Ukrainian universities continue their work today, creating three results:
– Socially responsible professionals: Socially responsible professionals learn to be effective agents of personal and social change in the pursuit of justice.
– Community Engagement: Community Engagement is a collaborative partnership that strengthens communities, provides services, and prepares students.
– Social justice: Social justice refers to the fair distribution of economic, political, civic, cultural, social and other resources and opportunities in society in order to promote the optimal development of the individual and the community.