Reinventing the Academy: Innovation, Strategy, and Change in Universities

Overview

Universities are among the most enduring institutions in society, yet they now face an unprecedented combination of pressures — from financial constraints and geopolitical tensions to the rise of generative AI and growing expectations around societal impact. Despite their well-documented role in driving innovation for others, how universities innovate themselves as organisations remains surprisingly understudied. This creates a timely and important opportunity for scholarly inquiry into the drivers, barriers, and processes of innovation within higher education institutions.

Research activities

This research topic invites students to examine universities as sites of innovation in their own right, exploring questions around governance, leadership, organisational capabilities, ecosystem engagement, and the management of grand societal challenges. Students are encouraged to identify their own specific focus within this broad theme. For an overview of open research questions in this space, see the special issue call by Delbridge, Harley, Quattrone, and Sahlin in the Journal of Product Innovation Management on "The Innovative University."

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

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Keywords

• innovation
• knowledge commercialisation
• organisational change
• university

Contact

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