Enhancing Innovation in Higher Education Institutions: Barriers, Actions and Strategic Instruments for Sustainable Innovation

Innovation and sustainability have become increasingly important in recent years in education and research, helping to address global challenges and strengthening the collaboration between universities and industry. Integrating sustainable innovation practices in higher education institutions (HEI) plays a key role in creating a support system for academic and industrial collaboration and delivering value to society. Sustainable innovation involves making intentional changes to an HEI organization's philosophy and values, as well as to its products, processes, or practices. It serves the specific purpose of creating social and environmental value in addition to economic returns. Even so, there is still a need to improve the transfer of knowledge and technology as an integrated system between university and industry. The paper explores how universities develop an environment favourable for innovation while fostering a supportive culture for it. The article presents the findings from round table interviews involving forty participants with the following profiles: research managers, research advisors, innovation advisors, project managers, project support staff, researchers in education processes, support staff for researchers in project implementation, solution development, technology transfer offices, and other similar profiles. For the discussion three exploratory questions were given regarding the problems/barrier’s universities face in sustainable innovation, actions that should be taken to increase innovation potential, and means/instruments of innovation in an academic environment. An extra question was presented looking for suggestions for possible actions and means as strategic steps for a brief period intervention of 6-12 months. This work sheds light on several critical aspects related to sustainable innovation in HEIs by investigating barriers hindering innovative thinking, exploring organizational and individual-level actions, and examining the means and instruments of innovation in an academic environment. The research data has offered valuable insights into effective strategies for overcoming barriers and creating an environment that fosters innovation. Furthermore, the study provides practical recommendations and short-term strategies for empowering universities to create a vibrant culture of innovation and maximize their impact on research, education, and knowledge transfer.