Accelerating Future HEI

What can four years of institutional transformation teach us about building more entrepreneurial, innovative and impactful universities?

Globally, universities increasingly recognise the need to change. They want to become more entrepreneurial, strengthen their engagement with industry and society, and create greater impact through their education and research. However, turning these ambitions into lasting institutional change is easier said than done.

During its four-year European initiative, Accelerate Future HEI supported universities moving beyond strategies and isolated initiatives, overcoming deeply rooted structures, cultures and incentives to build an institution that embraces innovation and entrepreneurship across everything it does.

This initiative, coordinated by UIIN and co-funded by the European Commission, will share their experiences and lessons during the UIIN Future of Universities Summit in Lisbon, 28–29 October 2026.

Bringing the lessons to Lisbon

The UIIN Future of Universities Summit provides an opportunity to bring these experiences into a much wider international conversation.

As one of the culminating showcases of Accelerate Future HEI, the Summit will feature institutional transformation journeys from participating universities, sharing what they set out to achieve, the approaches they tested, the challenges they encountered and what they learned along the way.

These experiences will contribute to the Summit’s broader exploration of how universities need to evolve, bringing together institutional leaders, academics, professional staff, policymakers and ecosystem partners to challenge existing models and develop new approaches.

Four years of accelerating institutional transformation

Since 2023, Accelerate Future HEI has brought together 12 European partners, including nine universities, to explore and test how institutions can become more entrepreneurial, innovative and engaged. The initiative takes a broader approach to institutional transformation, focusing not just on individual activities or programmes, but on the bigger structural and cultural changes required.

Participating universities have assessed their existing capabilities, developed strategic visions and transformation plans, and implemented practical initiatives to strengthen entrepreneurship, innovation and external engagement. Throughout this journey, they have received tailored support through mentoring, training, peer learning and expert guidance.

The ambition has been to understand what universities need to change and how they can make that change happen and sustain it over time.

The information and views set out in this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. Grant agreement ID: 101095083