enterprises, venture capitalists and the finance sector, local governments, research hospitals, and other critical players in the innovation and knowledge economy. “It is important to emphasise that the University of Toronto and other leading research-intensive institutions are not simply passive partners. We’re actively shaping and reshaping the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. We are very deliberately creating new physical spaces for start-ups and young firms that are rapidly scaling up,” he remarked. “These are important places at the intersection of research and education on the one hand and economic dynamism on the other. “Universities have turned away from the old ivory tower model and are embracing a more purposeful and strategic form of local engagement. It is a source of strength for both universities and their local communities.” An example of this is UC Davis, which became a model for town-gown relationships during the pandemic. Professor May detailed how the university, city and county joined forces for a programme called Healthy Davis Together. “This was a multi-faceted approach which included free saliva-
based asymptomatic testing, environmental wastewater monitoring, student public health ambassadors, and partnerships with businesses, school districts and others,” he said. UC Davis took charge of the free testing that was conducted on campus and at several locations in the city, and processed samples at the UC Davis Genome Centre. Over the course of the programme, more than 2.1 million saliva tests were conducted. The collaboration facilitated the gradual return to regular community activities, including the re-integration of UC Davis students into the Davis community. More importantly, it saved lives. The consultancy Mathematica calculated that Healthy Davis Together reduced COVID-19 case numbers by 60 per cent, avoided 4,144 cases and 275 COVID-related hospitalisations, and saved 35 lives. “Healthy Davis Together offers a successful town-gown model that can be replicated to address any number of issues and challenges. At UC Davis, we’re already working to apply this model on a new initiative we call Hate- Free Together that asks our communities to take action against the rise of hate incidents by condemning hate and
cultivating change. Rather than COVID-19, hate is the virus we’re trying to eradicate,” Professor May said. He added that his university is focused on developing engaged research through co-creation, shared knowledge, reciprocation and mutual benefit. “Strong and productive community-university partnerships must be part of the equation if we want to create resilient, sustainable communities. These partnerships also help universities to advance their missions, address challenges, and imagine a better future for us all,” he stressed. In Latin America, Professor Almeida felt the pandemic had helped to break down the view that universities were isolated from their communities, a view that had proliferated even though all universities in the region included engagement with civil society, business and government in their mission. “The mission of outreach is crucial in Latin America, where all universities have dedicated a large amount of their work to taking the university to those people who otherwise do not have access,” she remarked. “One
of the major problems we have had is the ivory tower myth. People talked about it over and over again. If you went out on the street and talked to a businessperson, they would say you live in an ivory tower.” However, that is now changing. “I think the pandemic really broke those views because our actions became visible. For example, my university has two hospitals, and with the pandemic, everybody knew that we were doing research related to COVID-19 and that we developed the first Brazilian vaccine. This visibility is important. So how can we communicate better with society and encourage more interaction between our faculty and members of the community?” Professor Almeida cited the “triple helix” of academia, business and government, in which academia and business have become aware of the importance of interacting with each other to generate innovation, but government response was lagging. “The government has to make laws and policies and to interact so that connections become more clear and more obvious to everybody involved, otherwise we’re not going to move on,” she commented. “Putting a win-win situation into
My university has two hospitals, and with the pandemic, everybody knew that we were doing research related to COVID-19 and that we developed the first Brazilian vaccine. This visibility is important. So how can we communicate better with society and encourage more interaction between our faculty and members of the community?
Strong and productive community- university partnerships must be part of the equation if we want to create resilient, sustainable communities. These partnerships also help universities to advance their missions, address challenges, and imagine a better future for us all.
Professor Gary S May Chancellor, University of California, Davis
Professor Sandra Almeida Rector, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
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