ACEEU is based on Münster, Germany, and is the only globally-operating quality assurance body with a focus on acknowledging engagement and entrepreneurship in Higher Education. ACEEU accredits universities around the world in its two main accreditation programmes: Entrepreneurial University Accreditation and Engaged University Accreditation, currently successfully accredited institutions in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia, with 20+ more institutions in the process. We promote and recognise Higher Education Institution efforts to have a broader impact on society and be agents of change undertaking the Third Mission. We are committed to redfine the standards of quality in higher education and empowering universities’ community engagement.

Third mission and community engagement of Higher Education Institutions are at the core of ACEEU mission. Getting involved in the Tenacity project give us a platform to be immersed in the research and design of new strategies for civic commitment and community engagement to enhance universities’ Third Mission. The project is a vivid example on how universities, by strengthening collaboration of academics and local communities, seek to address social issues and facilitate the participation of the civic society.

We would like to increase knowledge transfer between universities in areas such as academic civic commitment and public engagement to support their process of becoming socially engaged. The outcomes resulting from the project, like the handbook and the digital tools, would contribute to the enlargement of practical resources on the universities third mission.

Personally, Tenacity is a unique project combining Participatory Action Research, Community Service-Learning, Gamification and Peer e-learning to unlock and mobilise university resources and capacities to facilitate public engagement and academic civic commitment. The use of the Deliberative Arenas as the main vehicle to democratise academic outputs is a unique approach that will equip universities with practical mechanisms to make third mission actionable and impactful.

ACEEU plans to use the results of TENACITY as a reference material for accredited and non-accredited universities seeking to achieve their social engagement mission. The Handbook and the digital tools will enlarge the Resource Centre of ACEEU and will be disseminated through workshops and webinars outlining Higher Education Third Mission among our stakeholders.