Rethinking the Third Mission of Ukrainian Universities in Wartime: Innovation, Social Resilience, and Postwar Reconstruction
Keywords:
Innovation, Post-War Reconstruction, Resilience, Social Responsibility, Third Mission, Ukrainian Universities, Wartime Higher EducationAbstract
This study examines how the third mission of Ukrainian
universities has transformed under wartime conditions and
how it contributes to social resilience, innovation, and post
war reconstruction. The study used a qualitative comparative
design based on 186 institutional documents from 30
Ukrainian universities. The analysis identified three
interconnected dimensions of third-mission transformation:
social responsibility and humanitarian support, innovation
and regional development, and reconstruction-oriented
engagement. The findings show that Ukrainian universities
have expanded beyond teaching and research to become
platforms for community support, knowledge mobilization,
institutional cooperation, and recovery planning. The study
contributes to third-mission scholarship by conceptualizing
the university as a crisis-adaptive institution embedded in
social and reconstruction processes.
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