Spin-offs of the Third Mission and social innovation: the case study of the research–training–intervention project of Geodata Ltd

As a result of enactment of Law 297/1999, many Italian universities could improve the opportunities in appliedresearch, activating spin-offs and start-ups in conformity with those regulations. This is a new challenge in theuniversities’ mission: universities are capable (and therefore they are asked) to generate not only new knowledge andcompetent professional profiles, but also to make a new effort in implementing the “third mission” for promoting socialinnovation. Considering this background, we present a research project – a training intervention named “Participatoryculture, personal branding and organisational wellness” – by Espéro Pvt, a spin-off of the University of Salento, for Geodata Engineering Ltd., located in Turin, Italy. Presented below are the theoretical framework (learningorganisation, empowerment evaluation and organisational wellness) and the methodology, as well as the first results.