About our third mission

As a responsible university, we are committed to disseminating knowledge, driving public debates, and paving the way for tangible transformation processes in our society.

We make a positive a impact through research (our “first mission”) and teaching (our “second mission”) and through work that goes beyond these activities – and that we and others call our “third mission.” This “third mission” is one of our core responsibilities under the Austrian Universities Act (Universitätsgesetz). According to § 1 of the Universities Act, one of the main responsibilities of a university is to “contribute to the personal development of the individual and to the welfare of society and the environment.” Federal Act on the Organisation of Universities and their Studies (Universities Act 2002 – UG) 

The third mission is an integral part of WU’s Strategy. WU is one of only very few universities that expressly state their commitment to the third mission in the title of a Vice-Rector’s portfolio – namely that of WU’s Vice-Rector for Research & Third Mission. The Third Mission Office supports the WU community in publicizing WU’s wide-ranging activities in this field and further developing them based on a targeted strategy.

What do we mean by third mission? 

The term “third mission” does not have a universally accepted definition, and the concept behind it is often regarded as a concern that cuts across all of a university’s different areas of activity. Broadly speaking, the “third mission” refers to working with and within the broader community in order to create added value for society. Ideally, it is all about creating mutually “beneficial interconnections” (Rössler, FIFTH project, 2015) where everybody profits. This means getting in touch, interacting, and collaborating with many different players in society, government, and business (= our stakeholders). The third mission plays an especially important role when it comes to addressing the major challenges facing our societies today.  Experts from the Institute for Higher Education Research (HoF) (Henke/Pasternack/Schmid, 2015) have identified three main areas of action for universities. In all three of them, WU carries out a wide range of activities and initiatives: knowledge and technology transfer, community outreach and social engagement, and continuing education and lifelong learning.

Knowledge transfer and innovation

Community outreach & social engagement

Continuing education & lifelong learning

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Contact

Staff unit Third Mission

thirdmission@wu.ac.at