Terza Missione Third Mission encompasses all activities that the University carries out beyond the spheres of research and teaching, with the specific mandate to disseminate culture and knowledge and transfer research outcomes beyond the academic context, thereby contributing to social growth and the cultural direction of the territory.

The characteristics of DAD, the Department of Architecture and Design, place it at the center of every cultural debate concerning the city itself, its urban development, and its technological growth. Since its establishment as the Faculty of Architecture, the Department has always played a fundamental role in this context by providing significant contributions to the study of the city's evolutionary processes, ultimately defining intervention and redevelopment proposals for the development of the territory and its built environment. In more recent years, DAD's involvement in territorial matters – particularly in Genoa and Liguria – has also extended to aspects related to communication and public engagement, raising awareness on issues of particular social and cultural relevance.

These objectives are pursued through the efforts of DAD's staff (both academic and non-academic), as well as the involved students, by organizing events, exhibitions, public lectures, and generally initiatives conceived in close relation with the territory and the citizenry, often in collaboration with other academic structures (other departments of the University of Genoa) and other institutions or private entities from different sectors of the territorial context.

The activities carried out as part of the Third Mission are periodically evaluated by the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems (ANVUR) within the Research Quality Assessment framework (VQR).