Promotion of local development and innovation by a social sciences and humanities based university: the case of the University of Macerata

Phenomena associated with globalization, the spread of the knowledge economy and the challenges of sustainable development are all contributing to redefining the role of the university. In addition to the traditional first and second missions of education and research, universities have been taking on a third mission to bring socioeconomic benefits to the local and national economy through technology transfer. The first part of this study briefly outlines the theoretical framework of the third mission and the emerging function of co-creation of initiatives to support socialsustainability. Next, the study describes the approach adopted by the University of Macerata (UniMC), a university focused on Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHs). Since 2013, UniMC has undertaken specific actions to boost entrepreneurship through a humanistic approach towards local development. This paper describes six initiatives out of the many that UniMC has established: the Office for the Valorisation of Research – ILO and Placement; CreaHUB; LUCI, Laboratory for Humanism, Creativity and Innovation; IMpresa INaula; Mangia Locale; and #SMARTMARCA