Leading Entrepreneurial Change in Higher Education: Lessons from the H-FARM Ecosystem

Innovation in higher education is often discussed through programs, structures, or institutional models. This conversation takes a different starting point: the leadership perspective behind the work. Antonella Sannella will share what it means to lead within an entrepreneurial education environment, including the practical decisions, trade-offs, and cultural shifts involved. Participants will gain insight into how leaders can move from ambition to implementation, create space for experimentation, and build the confidence, structures, and partnerships needed for innovation to become part of institutional practice. 

This Fireside Chat will focus on:

1. How leaders can create the conditions for entrepreneurial culture, and innovation in higher education. 
2. What tensions arise when building new approaches to learning within a wider innovation ecosystem. 
3. How to balance vision, experimentation, risk, and institutional discipline when leading change. 
4. What universities can learn from leadership experiences shaped by the H-FARM ecosystem. 

Antonella Sannella is an education leader working within the wider H-FARM ecosystem, where she contributes to the development of innovative approaches to learning, entrepreneurship, and institutional change.

Her experience offers a valuable perspective on how higher education can build entrepreneurial culture not only through programs, or structures, but through leadership choices, organisational conditions, and a willingness to rethink how institutions support innovation.

A UIIN Fireside Chat is a 30-minute interview session between a UIIN facilitator and an external industry expert on a high-level topic. Participants will leave with insights and inspiration after hearing the experiences and perspectives of the guest speaker, and have the opportunity to ask questions during the session. Fireside Chats are also recorded for UIIN podcasts and are available after the session.