By Rimante Rusaite, Senior Project Officer, University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN)
Universities face mounting pressure to foster innovation, support entrepreneurship, and contribute to economic and societal well-being[1]. Yet, achieving this requires more than adopting new metrics or launching a few pilot projects. It involves a holistic shift in culture, mindset, and capability across the entire organisation[2].
In today’s complex and fast-evolving environment, universities must go beyond their traditional roles to become agile, impactful actors in society. Institutional transformation is no longer optional—it’s strategic. But transformation is not just about policies or restructuring; it’s deeply human. It begins with equipping people with the capacity to lead and sustain change. A case in point is the Accelerate Future HEI (AFH) Training Program, which offers valuable insights into how structured learning interventions can be the catalyst for deeper, systemic change.
Training as a mechanism for change
The AFH training was developed in response to key challenges identified through research activities carried out in the project’s early stages—including surveys, asset mapping, and roadmap workshops. These revealed gaps in staff capacity to support entrepreneurship, limited cross-departmental collaboration, and weak mechanisms for engaging with external stakeholders. These insights informed the training domains, designed to build skills in innovative teaching, impactful research, ecosystem engagement, and institutional leadership. The research and training development were both led by UIIN, the project coordinator in Accelerate Future HEI.
Training, when designed for context and continuity, becomes a strategic enabler of transformation. The AFH Training Program offers diverse thematic modules aligned with the broader goals of institutional entrepreneurship, innovation, research valorisation, and stakeholder engagement.
Delivered in a modular, hybrid format—combining live sessions, asynchronous learning, and peer interaction—the program allows different types of staff to engage in ways that align with their roles and time constraints. This flexibility has been critical to uptake and impact.
Building institutional capacity through training
The impact of the AFH training program is not just individual but systemic. Participants report increased confidence, new ideas for embedding entrepreneurship in curricula, and stronger cross-departmental collaboration.
The program is appreciated for its well-structured courses and actionable insights. Vivian García, a Project Technician at Universidad Europea de Canarias, shared her perspective:
“The courses are interesting, well-structured, and easy to follow. They provide valuable insights, such as examples of how universities foster entrepreneurship and share inspiring success stories. I found it particularly beneficial to learn from the successful entrepreneurial initiatives of other universities.”
Another participant reflected on how the program “provided new perspectives, networking opportunities, and structured project planning skills.” These testimonials come from staff across nine university partner institutions participating in AFH, including Universidad Europea de Canarias(Spain), Universidade da Madeira (Portugal), Fachhochschule St. Pölten (Austria), UC Leuven-Limburg (Belgium), Université de La Réunion (France), Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal), Universitatea Politehnica Timișoara (Romania), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), and Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Hungary).
Capacity building here is understood not as a one-time event but as an ongoing process that includes leadership development, institutional reflection, and structural alignment, critical for fostering innovation in universities[3].
Recommendations for broader implementation
As institutions worldwide reflect on their transformation agendas, several lessons emerge from the AFH experience:
- Training must be mission-aligned. When learning is tied to institutional priorities, it has a better chance of producing strategic outcomes.
- Modularity and flexibility matter. Professionals are more likely to engage when training accommodates their schedules and learning styles.
- Peer learning is powerful. Cross-institutional knowledge exchange strengthens innovation capacity.
- Feedback loops ensure relevance. AFH continuously integrates participant feedback to refine and evolve its training offer.
Conclusion
Institutional transformation is as much about mindsets as it is about mechanisms. The Accelerate Future HEI Training Program shows that with the right scaffolding—training, collaboration, coaching—HEIs can nurture the capabilities needed to become entrepreneurial, innovative, and engaged institutions.
As universities around the world chart their own transformation journeys, investing in strategic capacity building may prove to be the most sustainable way to lead from within.
[1] Former Prime Minister Draghi, “The future of European competitiveness – A competitiveness strategy for Europe”.
[2] Stolze, A. (2021). A meta-ethnography on HEIs’ transformation into more entrepreneurial institutions: Towards an action-framework proposition. Industry and Higher Education, 35(1), 14-27.
[3] Aithal, P. S., & Maiya, A. K. (2023). Innovations in higher education industry–Shaping the future. International Journal of Case Studies in Business, IT, and Education (IJCSBE), 7(4), 283-311.
