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Responding to Public Demand Together: Practices of Grantmaking Foundations’ Participation in Implementing the Universities’ Third Mission
Alexandra Avdeeva
DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2023–3–3–26–32
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
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.
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.
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