Co-designing the Future: UNICAM World Café Strengthens Collaboration Between Universities and Civil Society
5 March 2026 – Camerino, Italy
How can universities and civil society organisations work together to generate greater social impact?
This was the guiding question of the UNICAM World Café, held on 5 March 2026 at the University of Camerino. Organised within the framework of the COCO – Collaboration Compass initiative and aligned with the vision of the EPiCS Project, the event brought together representatives from the University, local public authorities, third-sector organisations and student associations to explore new models of collaboration based on dialogue, participation and Research Service-Learning.
Building stronger bridges between universities and communities
The World Café focused on one of the key dimensions of universities' third mission: creating social value through knowledge exchange, civic engagement and partnerships with local communities.
Rather than searching for immediate solutions, participants worked collectively to answer three fundamental questions:
What does effective collaboration between universities and the third sector require?
What barriers currently prevent this collaboration?
Which existing strengths and opportunities can be built upon?
Using the World Café methodology, participants rotated across discussion tables, sharing ideas and progressively building a collective understanding of priorities for the future. The process culminated in a shared visual map of needs, barriers, opportunities and future scenarios.
A diverse community around the table
The event gathered a wide range of stakeholders, including regional third-sector organisations, public institutions, mountain community representatives, university governance, academic staff, students and student associations.
This diversity reflected one of the central principles promoted by EPiCS: meaningful innovation emerges when different forms of knowledge and experience are brought together through structured dialogue.
What collaboration needs
Across the discussions, participants identified several priorities for strengthening collaboration between universities and communities.
Among the most important were:
creating continuous opportunities to build relationships and mutual trust;
improving communication and shared communication tools;
developing common methods for project design and planning;
investing in joint training and capacity building;
ensuring adequate resources and better alignment of organisational timelines.
Participants also emphasised the importance of the university's contribution through research, evidence, methodological expertise and student engagement in community-based initiatives.
Recognising barriers—and opportunities
Alongside these needs, the discussions highlighted several challenges, including administrative complexity, limited resources, cultural differences between organisations, governance issues and the absence of shared project-development tools.
At the same time, the World Café revealed important assets already present within the region: a strong network of organisations, existing collaborative experiences, European partnerships, Service-Learning initiatives, citizen science projects and supportive regional policies for the third sector.
Towards a shared vision
Looking ahead, participants envisioned a future where collaboration becomes a permanent feature of the relationship between universities and society.
Their vision includes:
stable spaces for dialogue between universities and local stakeholders;
transparent communication channels;
increased opportunities for students to engage in Service-Learning experiences;
stronger civic participation supported by collaborative research.
One particularly significant outcome was the recognition of participatory action research as a methodological bridge capable of connecting academic research with real community needs, generating both new knowledge and social innovation.
Contributing to the EPiCS vision
The UNICAM World Café demonstrates how participatory methodologies can move beyond consultation to become genuine processes of co-creation.
The insights gathered during the event contribute directly to the broader ambitions of the EPiCS Project: supporting universities in becoming more open, collaborative and socially engaged institutions, where Research Service-Learning creates lasting connections between academic knowledge, civic participation and community impact.
The outcomes of the World Café will continue to inform the development of participatory ecosystems and digital tools that enable universities and communities to design, implement and sustain collaborative research projects together.