The third mission of higher education institutions (HEIs)—also known as university extension, knowledge transfer, community engagement, social outreach, university social responsibility, innovation, and entrepreneurship—has become a fundamental axis for promoting the social, cultural, and economic development of territories. This concept is evolving towards a more dynamic and bidirectional vision, where the knowledge generated within the institution is not only transferred to its surroundings but also enriched by it. From this perspective, the concept of the synergistic university is proposed: an institution that acts as an active and collaborative learner and as a strategic agent within the ecosystem of innovation and social transformation.

The synergistic university is the focus of this research, conducted as part of a doctoral dissertation at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). The main objective of this dissertation is to contribute to strengthening the third mission of universities in Colombia through the formulation of challenges and innovation strategies, using the EMOI model as a methodological foundation. The results presented in this work correspond to the first stage of the research and serve as key inputs for the project’s overall development.

The EMOI Innovation Management Model, developed at the Center for Quality and Change Management at UPV (Carrión García et al., 2022), provides a structured methodology for managing innovation in organizations. This model enables the transformation of innovation demands into products, services, or processes that add value to key stakeholders. Its approach spans from identifying trends to evaluating risks and designing strategies to address associated challenges, highlighting the importance of detailed planning and result measurement to ensure the success and sustainability of initiatives.

The first phase of the model, focused on identifying and analyzing trends, constitutes the core of this presentation. This process establishes an updated and relevant reference framework, allowing HEIs to chart actionable paths that leverage higher education trends as drivers of innovation. Through specific methodological tools and the active participation of diverse stakeholders, universities can identify not only possible futures but also desirable ones. This approach positions the third mission as a cornerstone of global development in the 21st century, enabling the anticipation of scenarios and the design of strategies adapted to various cultural and social realities.

This work presents the initial results of activities carried out with actors in the Colombian higher education system, complemented by a comprehensive review of recent literature on futures and trends in higher education and the third mission. These findings are the product of the research’s first phase and serve as strategic inputs for the doctoral dissertation. As a main result, the innovation drivers of the synergistic university are identified from a future-oriented perspective of higher education, establishing a strategic framework that will enable universities to anticipate challenges, design strategies, and consolidate their role as agents of change in society.

Keywords: Third mission, Higher education trends, innovation, EMOI Innovation Management Model, Synergistic university.