UIIN Podcasts

How can universities prepare researchers to work across disciplines and sectors? In this episode, Carolin Plewa, Pro Vice Chancellor – Graduate Research Training, Adelaide University, explains why research expertise alone cannot prepare researchers for complex careers and societal challenges, and shares lessons from their programmes designed for graduate researchers and early-to-mid career academi...

What turns a portfolio of university projects into shared research capability? In this episode, we invited Mark Jefferies, Head of Research Partnerships at Rolls-Royce, to talk about the company's approach to university collaboration. We also explored what collaboration at scale looks like in practice, and what is needed  keep  partnerships relevant.

How can universities make academic consulting easier, safer, and more valuable? In this episode, Jaci Barnett , Chief Operating Officer at Oxford University Innovation, shares lessons on defining projects, managing risk, rewarding academics, and protecting independent judgement

How can universities make entrepreneurial learning part of their daily practice? In this episode, Antonella Sannella , Managing Director of H-FARM College, shares how industry projects, protected experimentation, a connected campus, and thoughtful use of AI help students apply knowledge and build judgement.

How can universities help fragmented regional systems coordinate and act? In this episode, Lisa Kehoe , Head of Impact Development at the University of Bristol, shares lessons from community micro-campuses, cyber growth planning, and health partnerships. She also explains why effective convening depends on curiosity, credible teams, practical experimentation, and long-term infrastructure.

How can researchers turn impact ambitions into benefits that matter beyond academia? For this episode, we invited Mark Reed , Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship at Scotland’s Rural College and CEO of Fast Track Impact, to share a practical approach based on external needs, inclusive relationships, small-scale learning, adaptable plans, and credible evidence.

What turns a collection of institutions into an innovation ecosystem? In this episode, John Howard , Visiting Professor at UTS and Leader of the Acton Institute for Policy Research and Innovation, explains how orchestration, collaboration, institutional diversity, and outcome-focused policy can help universities contribute more effectively to their regions. 

How can universities make collaboration more strategic without constraining the relationships academics already build? Søren Land , Head of Team Collaboration & SDU Startup Station at University of Southern Denmark, explains how the University of Southern Denmark uses faculty briefs, cross-functional groups, a catalogue of services, and live dashboards to connect engagement with institutional...

What does it take to make innovation part of a university’s daily operating model? In this week’s episode, Aleks Subic , Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Torrens University Australia, shares how clear purpose, distributed authority, aligned rewards, authentic engagement, and external partnerships can create an entrepreneurial culture.

In this episode, Manuel Dolderer , Co-founder and President of CODE University of Applied Sciences, shares how personal missions, project-based learning, open spaces, faculty coaching, and co-creation can prepare students for an unpredictable future.

How can higher education leaders turn innovative ambition into lasting institutional change? In this episode, Cameron McCoy, Founder & Chief Adapting Officer, The Adaptive Group, and Chris Howard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Arizona State University, discuss how higher education leaders can turn public purpose into institutional change. Drawing on his cross-sector c...

Trust is difficult to capture in a conventional KPI, but it still leaves evidence. In this episode, we spoke with Sebastian Husein, Impact Development Manager at the University of Twente, about how responsiveness, reciprocal questions, resource commitments, and openness about risk can reveal relationship maturity. He also shares practical approaches for understanding stakeholder motivation and str...

How can universities embed societal impact into research practice without reducing it to metrics or placing the full burden on researchers? In this episode, Esther de Smet , Senior Research Policy Advisor at Ghent University’s Central Research Department, explores how shared language, responsible assessment, tailored support, and stronger institutional connectivity can build impact literacy.

What makes a university genuinely entrepreneurial? Marcelo Tedesco , Founder and Executive Director of Global Ecosystem Dynamics and Director of Research in Economics & Society at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, argues for putting knowledge before venture counts. In this episode, he explores how transdisciplinary learning, purposeful collaboration, and ecosystem responsibility allow...

Why does excellent research sometimes fail to attract the engagement and investment it deserves? In this episode, Kylie Ahern, Founder and CEO of STEM Matters, explains how universities can replace fragmented announcements with audience-led narratives, connect communication to funding priorities, and use AI responsibly to scale research storytelling.

How can universities become more agile without losing the values that give education its purpose? In this episode of our podcast, Santiago Iñiguez , President of IE University, shares lessons on entrepreneurial governance, internationalisation, faculty development, and lifelong learning. He also explains why the rise of AI makes human judgement, character, and personal relationships even more cent...

How can university entrepreneurship reach people who do not already identify as entrepreneurs? In this episode, Naomi Bradshaw , Engagement Manager at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the University of Auckland , explains how inclusive language, audience-specific stories, community-led design, and reciprocal partnerships have helped the centre broaden participation across students...

An ambitious university strategy only matters when it changes how the institution works. For this episode, we invited Pascale Quester , Vice-Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology , to talk about how strategic focus, co-creation, innovation time, and industry-led research can turn institutional vision into action. Drawing on Swinburne’s transformation, she shows why lasting...

How can university leaders encourage entrepreneurship without trying to control it from the top? For this episode, we spoke with Tuula Teeri, Professor of Biotechnology and former President of Aalto University, about how Aalto supported bottom-up entrepreneurship through strategic investment, participatory leadership, visible recognition, and long-term commitment. Her experience offers practical l...

What would a university look like if every element were designed around what graduates should be able to do? For this episode, we invited Ben Nelson , Founder and CEO of Minerva Project and Founder of Minerva University, to explain how Minerva designed a university around transferable learning, shared assessment, and graduates’ ability to act wisely in unfamiliar situations. We also delved into wh...

For this episode, we sat down with Scott Shane, Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies and a professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University, to explore how generative AI could reshape university research, teaching, venture creation, governance, and institutional productivity at scale.

In this episode, we examine how universities can move beyond reacting to disruption and become institutions that actively shape the future with Heba Chehade , Head of Foresight Research at Dubai Future Foundation. We unpack how universities can use foresight to rethink their value proposition, strengthen partnerships, and design more resilient approaches to learning, research, policy, and public v...

In this episode, we explore how academic innovation can be recognised, rewarded and embedded in university career structures with  Kirsty Collinge , Head of Research Strategy at the University of Edinburgh. We unpack how the University of Edinburgh is rethinking academic career structures to recognise and reward innovation more explicitly. From developing an innovation career pathway across recrui...

In this episode, we explore what it takes to make external engagement more strategic, coordinated and impactful with Professor  Dan Johnson , Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Enterprise at Macquarie University. We unpack how Macquarie’s history, location within the Macquarie Park Innovation District and strong industry-facing culture have shaped its approach to partnerships. From...

In this episode, we explore what it takes to rethink technology transfer for real-world impact with Anthony Francis , Associate Vice President of Innovation, Commercialisation, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at San Antonio. We unpack why traditional, IP-first approaches continue to limit the flow of innovation from universities into society, how institutions can move beyond linear...