The implementation of sustainable development by universities: a third mission analysis of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies - Pisa

In the field of sustainable development, education is often evoked as a cornerstone for fostering environmental and social awareness and the creation of sustainable societies and places. This study considers higher education/universities as important actors in shaping societies and. Higher education participates in various ways in the construction of our society, through the education of citizens, the conduct of scientific research and its transfer to society. The latter, also referred to as the third mission of universities, has become increasingly important in addressing societal challenges. The third mission links academic activities to the 'real world' in a dual way. On one hand, research results, inventions and discoveries are implemented for the benefit of communities. On the other, researchers are able to test and improve their models/projects through the application of these in the evolving context of societies. These activities include intellectual property patents, academic spinoffs, and community engagement. An emerging field of literature is studying how higher education transfer can be mobilised in the endeavour to shape communities towards sustainable behaviours and place making. In this context scholars explore the concepts of sustainability transfer, co-creation for sustainability, transformative university, and the fourth mission of universities oriented towards a sustainable development transfer. This branch of literature has risen in opposition to the narrow understanding of the third mission of universities. Namely, when transfer is merely conceived in its economic dimension. Hence, this work aims at questioning if the third mission of universities, in its “traditional” understanding, is a suitable tool to support sustainable development to shape societies. Further, it explores how universities are engaging today with sustainable development at an institutional and societal level. This master's thesis intent is to analyse the above-mentioned issue, using two complementary types of empirical analysis: a global and regional analysis of higher education institutions and sustainable development implemented in a whole institutional approach; and the third mission analysis deployed by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. The results reveal that universities around the world are already committed to sustainable development. They support the Sustainable Development Agendas by implementing strategic plans and allocating dedicated budgets. They also use sustainable development as a cross-cutting theme in teaching, research and community engagement. Most higher education institutions also integrate sustainable development into their third mission partnerships. I have shown that these tend to focus on different issues depending on the stakeholders involved; in particular, on economic aspects with private actors, and on environmental and social issues with public actors. However, through the Scuola Sant'Anna case study, I conclude that third mission activities must be implemented considering sustainable development using holistic approaches if universities want to be able to transform societies.