The ‘Impact University’: moving towards a model of university that is increasingly relevant to territorial development
30 June 2026
Pedro Mercado, Rector of the University of Granada
The Coimbra Group Annual Conference in Granada offered a timely and necessary reflection on the role of universities in a world marked by complex social, environmental and technological challenges. Under the theme Transforming the local and social environment through research and innovation, the conference invited us to rethink the university not only as a site of knowledge creation, but as an institution deeply embedded in its territory and committed to the transformation of society.
This idea was evident from the opening remarks: universities are not isolated spaces of expertise, but civic institutions capable of connecting knowledge with the specific needs, aspirations and challenges of people and places. The territorial dimension matters. The local is not a limitation, but a privileged starting point from which to engage with global questions. From cities to rural areas, from regions to international networks, universities can help build shared futures when they listen, collaborate and act with responsibility.
Beth Simone Noveck’s keynote, The Impact University: From Knowledge Creation to Problem Solving, powerfully framed this discussion. She underlined the importance of universities as spaces for public innovation: institutions able to mobilise knowledge, data, technology and human talent to address real-world problems. Her reflections on artificial intelligence were particularly relevant. AI governance must be ethical, democratic and aligned with humanistic goals.
The conference also reminded us that generating impact does not mean reducing all knowledge to immediate application. Fundamental research, critical thinking and humanistic inquiry remain essential. However, impact requires a disposition: a willingness to orient knowledge towards the concrete problems of society, to build bridges with public administrations, civil society, companies and citizens, and to create the conditions for research and innovation to contribute to collective well-being.
This became clear in the panel on social agents of transformation, which brought together perspectives from the United Nations, the European Commission, national institutions and the local level. The discussion highlighted the importance of situated knowledge, rural territories and place-based innovation as a means of connecting local realities with international agendas. Territorial transformation requires multilevel governance, but also proximity, trust and long-term commitment.
The following session, focused on good practices from Coimbra Group universities, showed that these ideas are already taking concrete form. Living Labs, quadruple helix approaches, civic engagement initiatives, digital tools and collaborative platforms are helping universities to connect more effectively with their surrounding environments. These examples demonstrated that territorial engagement is not a marginal activity, but a strategic dimension of the university’s mission.
Finally, the contribution of European University Alliances reinforced the need to scale up this work. At Coimbra Group level, possible follow-up actions could include mapping territorial innovation practices, supporting peer-learning among member universities, creating shared frameworks for impact, and strengthening collaboration around ethical AI, public innovation and place-based development.
Granada showed that the university of the future must be an ‘Impact University’: rooted in its territory, open to the world, and committed to transforming knowledge into shared futures.