Universities have become more engaged or entrepreneurial, forging deeper relations with society beyond the economic sphere.To foster, structure, and institutionalize a broader spectrum of engagement, new types of chest strap HR intermediary organizations are created, going beyond the “standard” technology transfer offices, incubators, and science parks.This paper conceptualizes the role of such new-style intermediaries as facilitator, enabler, and co-shaper of university−society interaction, making a distinction between the roles of facilitation, configuration, and brokering.As a case study, the paper presents the Knowledge Mile in Amsterdam as a novel form of hyper-local engagement of a university with its urban surroundings that connects the challenges of companies and organisations in the street to a broad range of educational and research activities of the university, as well Sharp Tools/Blades as to rebrand the street.