The Role of the University for Promoting Sustainability through Third Mission and Quintuple Helix Model: The Case Study of the Tor Vergata University of Rome

Abstract

The research aims to analyze the role of universities to promote sustainable strategies inside and outside their academic communities. In particular, the focus is on projects promoted by the Academia that respond to the big problem regarding waste. After an analysis of the literature on the evolution of the Helix Model and the Third Mission of University, the research focuses on the analysis of the causes of the open call “Mission Sustainability” promoted by the “Tor Vergata” University of Rome, aiming to promote sustainable action in the territory, in a specific project involving the installation of incentivizing compactors in the Campus for PET collection. The research methodology applied to the case study, mainly qualitative, is based on the document analysis of university report and strategy planning, the call and the specific project promoted by professors and researchers titled “GREENtosi for UniRecycling purpose between Third Mission and Sustainability. A virtuous experimental partnership with a view to the quintuple helix in the socio-ecological transition context”. This case is relevant for both academic and practical aspects because it is a research application in a specific context leading to the following main results: sensitization and awareness of students, employees and the whole academic community on the problem of waste from PET plastic; involvement of stakeholders in public engagement activities for collecting waste; studying the practical application of possible benefits from the installation of compactors and increasing the sense of belonging towards the University, green and common space care.