Understanding Your University’s Innovation Maturity: From Activity to Capability

Many universities these days have entrepreneurship centres, industry partnership units and ambitious innovation strategies, yet they still rely on individual champions to make new ideas work. The challenge is not to generate (even) more activity, but about building the structures, culture and support that allow promising ideas to move through the institution and create lasting value.

At the centre of this masterclass is UIIN’s Innovation Maturity Framework™. The framework examines innovation in education, research, valorisation and place through six interconnected institutional capabilities: Direction, Empowerment, Scaffolding, Enablement, Reciprocity and Evolution. Participants will also explore the different stages of maturity, and why development may differ across areas of the same university.

Rather than treating maturity as a ranking exercise, the masterclass explores how the framework can support institutional reflection and more informed decisions. It considers how recognising strengths, gaps and recurring barriers can help leaders prioritise improvements to incentives, support pathways, partnerships and institutional learning, moving from isolated successes towards innovation that is more coherent, supported and sustainable.

This masterclass is designed for university leaders and senior professional staff responsible for strengthening institutional innovation capabilities, including:

• University executives and senior leaders responsible for institutional strategy, innovation and transformation.
• Directors and managers of innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
• Leaders of research impact, knowledge exchange, university–industry engagement and external partnerships.
• Senior professional staff responsible for organisational development, strategic planning and institutional support systems.

By the end of this masterclass, you will be able to:

1. Distinguish between innovation activity and institutional innovation maturity
2. Understand the six interconnected capabilities of UIIN’s Innovation Maturity Framework.
3. Interpret how innovation capabilities develop differently across education, research, valorisation and place.
4. Identify what enables and hinders innovation in your university
5. Explore how the framework can help recognise strengths, capability gaps and opportunities.
6. Translate an understanding of innovation maturity to strengthen institutional capability.

Arno Meerman, CEO & Founder at UIIN

Arno is the CEO of UIIN, a leading global network in research, events, training, and consulting for university-industry engagement. He’s built and expanded UIIN into one of the world’s largest networks in this field, collaborating with the European Commission, universities, and other government bodies to advance university-industry relationships, entrepreneurial education, and innovation alliances. Arno has spearheaded consulting projects and training programs for UIIN.

Luca Barbera, Project Officer at UIIN

Luca is a Project Officer at UIIN, where he works on research and consulting projects focused on university entrepreneurship, research valorisation, innovation education and institutional change. His work includes developing and piloting approaches that help students and researchers translate academic knowledge into societal and economic impact, as well as supporting universities in embedding innovation and valorisation within their institutions.

UIIN Masterclasses are live, interactive workshops designed to provide in-depth learning on key topics related to university-industry collaboration. Led by experts, these sessions combine guided discussions, hands-on exercises, and peer learning to help participants develop practical strategies and skills.