Abstract Antalya Mutation Project at Akdeniz University is a platform to provide pragmatic training globally in induced plant mutagenesis, a specific area of plant breeding, in an academic structure, and to create researchers who are able to generate innovative solutions to their crop specific problems in the context of social engagement. Universities are organizations expected to accomplish the multiple missions such as teaching, research, academic services to society, technology transfer and development, among others. This mission requires engagement between the university and other bodies in the society. Main advantages of engagements are (1) to foster the partnership between the university and the society, (2) to bring about mutual benefits for all parties involved, (3) to share knowledge, and (4) to generate a measurable social impact. These advantages can be taken when matched the readiness of the university to offer the expertise with the current needs of the society. Consequently, the project evolved to a main project by integration of three independent sub-projects in sesame, chickpea and barley using basically induced mutagenesis in accordance with the available expertise and the needs of the society. The specific objectives were basically to develop plant types and cultivars suited to environment friendly agriculture for practical breeding purposes and generating germplasm for basic studies. Through the genetic material developed, scientific outputs produced and mass-media bulletins released it has taken much public attention internationally, and thus the project turned to a platform lately providing practical training, fellowships programs and expert missions by keeping its main mission to serve the society. Working with the local, regional and international actors make it possible to extend the expertise and to apply it in different part of the world for tangible results through the scholars trained. Farmer participation in agricultural research and development is a good model for university-community engagement and co-funding of the university’s activities at this service, and also creating researchers to innovate in agriculture. The interesting part of our social engagement model was to be driven by conditions in the lack of infrastructure belong to the university to perform the academic functions on-farm. The external engagement extended the university’s outreach to connect it with communities, industry, local administrations, central government, alumni, and international organizations and visitors as exemplified in this communication.