Within the framework of the UNICOM project, employees of Sumy National Agrarian University learned
about the third mission of higher education institutions during a scientific seminar in Germany.

On October 16-19, 2023, the seminar “THIRD Mission in Germany from national policy to university
experience” was held at the Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM) in Bielefeld, Germany. Sumy NAU
was represented at this event by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Margarita
LYSHENKO and Associate Professor of the Department of Public Administration and Management
Tetiana KHARCHENKO.

Professors Dr. Volker WITTBERG and Dr. Rulf TRADEL presented the university’s activities, familiarized
the participants with international and local FHM projects, and presented successful cases of
cooperation between the educational institution and business. Professor Dr. Anette WOLGAST
presented the L2C and ADA projects, which provide examples of small and medium-sized enterprises’
paths to the circular economy and research on women’s entrepreneurship. Elisa Goldmann presented
GobeEco, a modern tool for gamification of environmentally friendly habits in adult education. Within
the framework of the EyesOnCS project, which aims to develop innovative solutions and specific
educational products that prepare students and employees without IT knowledge to work safely in the
digital world, Professor Dr. M. LIESENBERG conducted a practical case study on cyber literacy, Escape
Room, which allowed the seminar participants to improve their skills in personal data protection.
Susanne HENNE, Project Manager of the University of Greifswald, presented the innovative concept of
West Pomerania’s One Health development within the framework of the BMBF T!Raum One Health
initiative, the basic goal of which is to create an ecosystem of healthy people, animals and the
environment.

An example of constructive cooperation between business and the university at the local level (within
the framework of the third mission) in Germany is the Fraunhofer Research Institute (Lemgo). The
representative of the Industrial Automation Department, Nissrin PERES, presented a wide range of
opportunities to the seminar participants, which act as a catalyst for the development and
dissemination of applied research results, increasing the attractiveness of scientific developments for
teachers and students. Fraunhofer is working on innovative solutions in the field of intelligent
automation, acts as a platform for the practical application of applied research and contributes to the
further development of the community. Another example of effective cooperation between science,
community and business is InnovationSPIN located in the center of the Innovation Campus Lemgo (ICL).
InnovationSPIN has all the conditions for generating new ideas and conducting research. The
interdisciplinary laboratories and creative spaces are a place where science and education function in
synergy to develop innovations, without institutional barriers. The design of open rooms, shared
workspaces, and laboratories help partners put their concepts into practice.

Prof. Dr. Ingo BALSCHMITER and Dr. Henning DUDERSTADT emphasized the importance of innovative
responses to rapid technological change, the transition to renewable energy sources, and changing
consumer behavior. In this context, the Open Innovation City project shows that innovative ideas are
present everywhere in society and that all areas of a city, i.e. politics and administration, business and
associations, education and research, as well as citizens and civil society, can develop their future
together. The concept of Open Innovation City, as Dr. Mirko PETERSEN pointed out, includes highlighting
problems (by the administration, companies, startups, individuals, etc.) and providing users with
creative solutions, through a broad, openly accessible common crowdsourcing function to engage the
entire urban society. The participants of the seminar actively participated in the discussion of innovative cases that have been successfully implemented in different regions of Ukraine and areas that need to be
implemented as part of the implementation of the third mission of universities.

Nick RIESMEYER, Founders Foundation representative, emphasized the importance of acquiring
specialized knowledge to turn a theoretical business case into a working business model. By applying to
the Founders Foundation, each founder can visit trend labs to develop a promising business idea, get
help in finding co-founders, and join informative meetings with program managers. In the context of
significant transformations in the educational technology industry, Founders Foundation's activities are
aimed at creating a sustainable ecosystem of B2B startups that brings together “new and old
businesses” and actively promotes the digital future of the region.