Social impact and mission of brazilian public universities: Is there alignment?

In addition to their traditional teaching and research roles, universities have expanded their activities, taking on a third mission, in order to boost the social and economic development of the region they operate in. This study examines the alignment between the institutional mechanisms that enable third mission activities in Brazilian public universities and the dimensions of social impact proposed in the literature. As for its methods, a rapid systematic review of the literature, content analysis of public universities’ mission statements, and a survey on the existence of Technological Innovation Centers (NIT) were carried out. The literature review indicates that the concepts of third mission and triple helix reflect a worldwide trend of redirectioning universities’ mission, widening the possibilities of social impact. The mission statements of Brazilian public universities still do not fully incorporate third mission activities. However, there is evidence of their commitment to sustainable development and technological innovation, a fact that points to an adaptation by universities to contemporary demands to strengthen their social impact.