As part of the Research Quality Assessment (VQR) 2015-2019, ANVUR (Agenzia Nazionale di Valutazione del Sistema Universitario e della Ricerca) invited the Italian universities to submit a limited number of case studies related to Third Mission.

The Third Mission includes all activities whereby universities collaborate and interact with territorial contexts and society to promote innovation and knowledge exchange. With the introduction of the Self-Assessment, Periodic Evaluation and Accreditation system, Third Mission has been officially recognised as an institutional mission of universities, along with teaching and research. The case studies were presented choosing from 10 fields of action, varying from academic entrepreneurship to technology transfer, from science dissemination to open education, from innovative tools for open science to activities related to the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Third Mission assessment, therefore, aims to provide a comprehensive and real measure of the contribution universities can offer to the community.

The University of Padua submitted 16 case studies to the evaluation, after an initial selection made by the Quality Supervision Commission for the Third Mission out of 64 initiatives proposed by the various university departments. Of the 16 selected cases, 15 were assessed with the ‘Excellent’ metric. These included Etifor, the only spin-off presented by the University of Padua.

Etifor was assessed as socially, economically and culturally significant. In particular, the evaluation underlined the company’s role in creating acceleration paths for international and innovative start-ups in the field of natural resource management. In addition, it was recognised Etifor’s great relevance to both the internal and external contexts, thanks to the various collaborations with national and international bodies. Lastly, the assessment also recognised Etifor’s ability to interface and collaborate with different subjects and institutions, involving a wide and diverse range of beneficiaries.

“The data made public by ANVUR highlighted a very positive result for the University in the area of Third Mission and represent a new important milestone for the University,’ says Monica Fedeli, pro-rector with responsibility for Third Mission and Relations with the Territory at the University of Padua.

Etifor is proud to have been selected among the case studies submitted to ANVUR and to have achieved such a positive evaluation, contributing to the excellent overall assessment obtained by the university.