Does a Responsible University Need a Third Mission?

Abstract

Abstract There are different positions in the discourse about how the university can contribute to innovation, economic development and regional development. One position regards regional development as a new third mission. Another position argues for the integration of the regional role within the first two roles, which are teaching and research. Both positions are normative and rest on the assumption that the university is a homogeneous organisation and that transforming the role of the university into a regional development role is simple. However, if the university is a loosely coupled organisation, the transformation is more challenging. This chapter addresses this organisational challenge by arguing for the integration of regional development into teaching using the approach of responsible research and innovation. This approach requires that individuals assume personal responsibility for their actions while also reinforcing university institutional responsibility for setting policies, such as regional development policies. Regional responsibility in practice involves the co-generation of knowledge between university actors and regional actors. An action research case from the University of Agder, Norway, shows how the regional development role was integrated into the teaching mission.

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