UNICOM Center at VNMU – will come to existence

This is the way to implement the third mission, which the university should strengthen in the nearest years

The beautiful ancient and, at the same time, young Genoa in the last week of May became the place of coordination meeting under the Erasmus+ project "Universities-Communities: strengthening cooperation (UNICOM)", which VNMU performs together with other universities of Ukraine under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Under the guidance of experienced trainers from the University of Genoa, as well as European partners of the project from different countries, members of the working group of the project prof. Victoria Rodinkova and As.prof. Olha Bratkova developed the concept of creating a UNICOM center at VNMU. It will ensure the university's awareness and implementation of its third mission - connection with the community. The meeting was also devoted to the study of the experience of EU countries, in particular Italy, in terms of increasing the social role of universities and strengthening cooperation and interaction between universities and communities.

Especially noticeable and interesting in this context was getting to know the work of the simulation center of the University of Genoa and, separately, a meeting with its management, organized especially for the representatives of VNMU. At it, the director of the center, Prof. Giacomo Borgonovo, told how the center, which is designed to train students' skills on mannequins, also finds ways to improve the life of the community by conducting simulations of medical procedures right on the streets of the city. At the meeting, framework agreements were reached regarding future cooperation between the Genoa Simulation Center and VNMU. The management of the center handed over to VNMU the instructions for evaluating the third mission of universities, approved at the level of the Government of the Italian Republic.

During the five working days of the visit, its participants also discussed a number of steps taken by the University of Genoa to ensure its effective third mission. This includes, in particular, the provision of educational services in the penitentiary system, the functioning of the institute of the third age, the audience of which is people aged 45 and older (but, for the most part, 60-70, 61% of which are women), the production of advertising merchandises (cups, bags, pens) for the purpose of spreading the brand of the university, publishing scientific literature for the non-academic public and ways of distributing this literature, conducting the Science Festival, etc.

As part of the internship, there was also an excursion to the museum of ethno-anthropology, which functions at the University of Genoa and is part of the implementation of its third mission. In the museum, modern and traditional medicine are intricately and interestingly interwoven.

- Participation in the study visit contributed to the acquisition of new knowledge and scientific experience for further research and updating of existing data on the third mission of universities. - says Professor Victoria Rodinkova. - The implementation of the study visit was necessary for the development of further steps within the project and the identification of new tasks within its limits.

- Participation in the initial visit made it possible to create the concept of the UNICOM Public Health Center and ensured the development of its management structure, as well as outlined the possible practical steps for the implementation of the third mission of the university, its structuring and awareness of the importance of its implementation by the institution of higher education. - Associate Professor Olga Bratkova believes.

Oksana Vityuk