406
L. Brandli et al.
In Brazil, to the University’s roles be developed successfully, it is necessary that the
focus is directed to the principles described in the Brazilian Constitution—Art. 207,
which states that “obey the principle of inseparability between Teaching, Research
and Extension” (Brazil 1988). No less important is innovation, which is inserted
in the principles of inseparability. According to Miranda et al. (2016) the university campus can be seen and used for transferring and application of the knowledge in favor of society. Bejinaru et al. (2018) state that universities need to take
their role seriously, facilitating access to innovations, providing implementations
and disseminating research results.
In the view of Ortega (2016), Teaching has an elementary nature and ensures the
transmission of the knowledge produced and all the new results. Together, teaching
and research combine theory and practice and thus, promote the exchange of information. With regard to the Research, this dimension allows the construction of critical
thinking, new responses, learning and academic thinking (Ortega 2016).
As the third item of inseparability, the extension is defined by Gonçalves (2015)
as the affirmation of responsibility and social commitment, belonging to academic
training and knowledge generated by the University. Similar to this view, Chaves
et al. (2019) state that the extension presents a commitment to transmitting and
instrumentalizing the knowledge generated at the university.
In order to achieve the social commitment, extension projects must operate in
transversal dimensions, combining different areas of knowledge (Silva et al. 2016).
Thus, extension projects are linked to several social, environmental, sustainable and
educational purposes. In this way they contribute to the achievement of the UN
Sustainable Development Goals by promoting the articulation of the activities of
extension projects with the proposed goals of the SDGs.
Recognizing the value of each axis for the university to remain in constant evolution and highlighting the extension with its projects, the aim of this paper is to
present an outreach project developed by a Brazilian university, with focus on smart
and learning cities and in parallel highlight the social impact of the project and its
contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
2 Methodology
The methodology of this study addresses the analysis of secondary data, provided
from the project reports and institutional news. This paper presents a case of study
describing the interventions promoted by an outreach project guided by the University
of Passo Fundo—UPF, in southern Brazil.
The UPF main campus is located in the city of Passo Fundo—Rio Grande do Sul
(RS), however, the institution has campuses in other 6 municipalities in the north of
the state. Figure 1 presents UPF’s location.
As a community university, besides its responsibility as a teaching and research
center in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil, UPF also provides a
relevant social role through its extension projects.
L. Brandli et al.
In Brazil, to the University’s roles be developed successfully, it is necessary that the
focus is directed to the principles described in the Brazilian Constitution—Art. 207,
which states that “obey the principle of inseparability between Teaching, Research
and Extension” (Brazil 1988). No less important is innovation, which is inserted
in the principles of inseparability. According to Miranda et al. (2016) the university campus can be seen and used for transferring and application of the knowledge in favor of society. Bejinaru et al. (2018) state that universities need to take
their role seriously, facilitating access to innovations, providing implementations
and disseminating research results.
In the view of Ortega (2016), Teaching has an elementary nature and ensures the
transmission of the knowledge produced and all the new results. Together, teaching
and research combine theory and practice and thus, promote the exchange of information. With regard to the Research, this dimension allows the construction of critical
thinking, new responses, learning and academic thinking (Ortega 2016).
As the third item of inseparability, the extension is defined by Gonçalves (2015)
as the affirmation of responsibility and social commitment, belonging to academic
training and knowledge generated by the University. Similar to this view, Chaves
et al. (2019) state that the extension presents a commitment to transmitting and
instrumentalizing the knowledge generated at the university.
In order to achieve the social commitment, extension projects must operate in
transversal dimensions, combining different areas of knowledge (Silva et al. 2016).
Thus, extension projects are linked to several social, environmental, sustainable and
educational purposes. In this way they contribute to the achievement of the UN
Sustainable Development Goals by promoting the articulation of the activities of
extension projects with the proposed goals of the SDGs.
Recognizing the value of each axis for the university to remain in constant evolution and highlighting the extension with its projects, the aim of this paper is to
present an outreach project developed by a Brazilian university, with focus on smart
and learning cities and in parallel highlight the social impact of the project and its
contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
2 Methodology
The methodology of this study addresses the analysis of secondary data, provided
from the project reports and institutional news. This paper presents a case of study
describing the interventions promoted by an outreach project guided by the University
of Passo Fundo—UPF, in southern Brazil.
The UPF main campus is located in the city of Passo Fundo—Rio Grande do Sul
(RS), however, the institution has campuses in other 6 municipalities in the north of
the state. Figure 1 presents UPF’s location.
As a community university, besides its responsibility as a teaching and research
center in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil, UPF also provides a
relevant social role through its extension projects.