On May 13-14, the coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia, Lana Karlova, and the Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Armenian State Pedagogical University, Associate professor, Erasmus+ higher education reform expert, Tigran Miqayelyan, participated in the “Universities’ third mission: Partnering for social and economic development” international seminar held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The seminar was organized by the SPHERE (Support to Higher Education Reform Experts) and the National Erasmus+ Office in Uzbekistan, and was hosted by the “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

The third mission of universities involves enhancing their contribution to society by fostering business, research, lifelong education, and innovative projects like smart cities and sustainable technologies.

The seminar aimed to explore the multifaceted contributions of universities to their local ecosystems and also broader development. It examined how universities contribute to addressing societal needs and assess the extent to which these contributions are tailored to specific contexts.

During the seminar, experts presented the participants strategies for maximizing the impact of universities through key topics such as teaching and learning innovation, digitalisation, outreach and lifelong learning provision. Also, the participants explored various case studies, including success stories exemplary to implement or adopt as a whole or through some specific components.

The seminar concluded with a call to leverage existing strengths to foster new initiatives. Participants emphasized the importance of prioritizing mission completion in emergency situations and managing confidential information effectively. Discussions also touched on the potential benefits of an institutional repository initiative to support university contributions to society.

Apart from all this, the seminar was another opportunity to re-establish and create new connections with colleagues from 25 countries around the world.