Knowledge Exchange@UHH: Mission

The University of Hamburg regards knowledge exchange as an equal Third Mission alongside research and teaching. With the knowledge exchange mission, we commit ourselves to a broad understanding of knowledge exchange – guided by expertise, engagement, and entrepreneurship. Its foundation is the Triple-E Model, which makes the diversity of knowledge exchange UHH visible.

10 Things to Know About the Third Mission at UHH

1. While there have been quite some activities in innovation and engagement at UHH before, it is only with the ExStra, which began in late 2020, that we have been establishing a genuine “Third Mission” next to research as first and teaching as second mission of universities.

2. Since then, as a comprehensive university, the UHH has cultivated a broad and distinctive understanding of transfer. It covers activities in three realms – expertise, engagement, and entrepreneurship. We call it the Triple-E model of knowledge exchange. It is firmly linked to twin transformation.

3. This broad idea of transfer captures the Anglo-Saxon notion of transfer called “knowledge exchange” (non-linear and interactive) and puts our commitment to “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future in A Digital Age” into practice.

4. In order for knowledge exchange to be based on science and feedback on it, we anchor it decentrally in the diversity of academic cultures at the faculties, clusters of excellence, and central units, integrating it into research and teaching, while rendering it highly visible through science communication (e.g., by websites, podcasts, news).

5. We ensure that knowledge exchange is firmly based in labs, hubs, or clinics all over the university, and practiced on the basis of the diverse research cultures, for and with a great variety of stakeholders and supported of by numerous transfer and/or science communication officers.

6. Additionally, UHH offers central support for researchers, (post/doctoral) students, alumni and/or stakeholders. The knowledge exchange agency provides advice and assistance regarding three main lines of trans-academic activity: innovation & entrepreneurship (e.g., start-ups), career & qualification (e.g., what to do with your education?), as well as co-creation & engagement (e.g., co-creative methods, organization of festivals etc.).

7. UHH also has a funding program, the knowledge exchange fund. It supports selected projects for up to a year and up to 30.000,- Euros. At the same time, the knowledge exchange agency gives advice on other funding options.

8. The UHH is committed to ensuring the quality and participatory development of transfer. It does so by utilizing impact-oriented transfer indicators specific to UHH and maintaining a responsible governance structure.

9. Today, UHH is a flagship university, an active and responsible partner in the innovation ecosystem. The university promotes career development, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship through regional, national, and international collaborations and events. A pivotal achievement is “Impossible Founders”, a deep tech entrepreneurship center for science-based start-ups, located in the metropolitan region.

10. We are pleased to say that knowledge exchange in the profiled diversity of its activities is about to become part of our researchers’ mindset and be engrained in UHH’s academic culture as a university of excellence. Excellence Meets Relevance and Relevance Meets Excellence.

For more details, please refer to the strategy document below.