University and Social Innovation: The Case of an Urban Regeneration in the Municipality of Rome

A universitys role has always been to teach and research, however a Third Mission has recently arisen and has become increasingly central to universities focus. Although this new goal has already been already researched, case studies on the social innovation of universities incorporating this Third Mission are less thorough. One case study, which concerns the urban redevelopment of areas in the Municipality of Rome, identifies the specific tasks and functions performed by the university, particularly with regard to related organisational aspects. Therefore, analysing the various phases of this urban redevelopment project, i.e. territorial analysis, meta-project, and regeneration program, a model was developed to analyse the role of the university as an actor, orchestrator, and promoter of "social" culture. This model serves to highlight the contributing factors that enable the transformation of the universitys role from merely a secondary subject to a strategic player of primary importance.