University Innovation Fellows

What University Innovation Fellows does

University Innovation Fellows (UIF) is a non-profit educational program that trains university students and faculty to lead institutional change in higher education. Founded in 2012 as part of the NSF-funded National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter), the program was operated by Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) until February 24, 2025, when it relocated to the DesignLab at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. The core methodology combines design thinking with social learning theory, delivered through a 6-week online training program, ongoing mentorship, regional and annual meetups, and an active alumni network launched in February 2024.

The program operates a community-led go-to-market model: faculty and administrators nominate students or teams, accepted Fellows complete structured training and then implement change projects at their home institutions — creating innovation spaces, entrepreneurship organizations, and experiential learning events. UIF has trained over 3,100 students since inception across 314 global institutions, with recent annual cohorts of 242 students (2023), 163 (2024), and 77 (2025). The program has no commercial pricing; it is funded by grants (originally NSF) and institutional partnerships, and monetizes none of its content or training as a product. Content assets include the 'Designing for Change' book by Wenger-Trayners, an MIT Press chapter contribution, the Change Forward Journal, and a wiki/library of Fellow-created resources.

UIF is governed by co-directors Humera Fasihuddin and Leticia Britos Cavagnaro, supported by a Communications Director (Laurie Moore) and a small expanding leadership team. The program has no AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary software product, and operates primarily through digital content marketing, conferences (Ashoka U Exchange, Silicon Valley Meetup, Eastern Hemisphere Meetup), and an institutional nomination pipeline rather than paid distribution.

Name

University Innovation Fellows

Legal name

University Innovation Fellows

Website

https://universityinnovationfellows.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

University Innovation Fellows is a non-profit educational program, founded in 2012 and relocated to the University of Twente's DesignLab in February 2025, that trains university students and faculty globally to lead institutional change through design thinking and social learning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Leadership Development

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAHAD

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAAAEAA

University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

Keywords

• Student leadership development
• Design thinking training
• Higher education innovation
• Faculty development programs
• Changemaker education

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The program was originally funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the NSF-funded National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter). It transitioned to Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) and as of February 2025, moved to DesignLab at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. The program operates as a non-profit educational initiative supported by institutional partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

University Innovation Fellows runs a non-profit educational program that selects and trains nominated higher education students through a 6-week online course, then supports them as change agents who launch innovation spaces, entrepreneurship organizations, and experiential events on their campuses. A parallel Faculty Innovation Fellows program provides a two-year cohort experience for educators, complemented by annual in-person meetups, a published book ("Designing for Change"), and an alumni network for graduated Fellows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• University Innovation Fellows Program (Student Fellows) A nomination- and application-based program that selects student leaders (individuals or teams) from higher education institutions worldwide for a 6-week online training experience, after which Fellows implement innovation, entrepreneurship, and design thinking projects on their campuses and serve as ongoing change agents.
• Faculty Innovation Fellows Program A cohort-based two-year experience for faculty members and administrators (Faculty Champions) who guide student Fellows, participate in the Faculty Innovation Fellows community, and design change projects at their institutions.
• UIF Alumni Network A community program for graduated UIF Fellows that supports ongoing impact initiatives, builds community, promotes continuous learning, and embraces belonging through an empathy-driven approach.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of mentees in the Kampus Merdeka mentorship program received internship offers after 5 months
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DesignLab at the University of TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2025As of February 24, 2025, the UIF program moved to a new institutional home at the DesignLab at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. The DesignLab serves as the new organizational host for the global UIF program.
• Beverly and Etienne Wenger-TraynerminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2019Renowned social scientists who authored 'Designing for Change: Using social learning to understand organizational transformation,' a book that serves as a case study of the UIF program, applying social learning theories to understand the program's impact on individuals and institutions.
• Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The University Innovation Fellows program was operated as a program of Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). The program was administered by Stanford d.school co-directors Humera Fasihuddin and Leticia Britos Cavagnaro.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka U: Ashoka U is the higher-education arm of Ashoka, focused on 'changemaker education' across colleges and universities globally. Like UIF, it operates a network model that recognizes and supports faculty/student changemakers and runs an annual exchange — the Ashoka U Exchange — making it the closest direct peer in mission and structure.
• Hult Prize: Hult Prize runs a global social entrepreneurship competition and fellowship program partnering with universities worldwide, often anchored by student-led campus directors. It competes with UIF for the same institutional partnerships and student changemaker mindshare on campuses.
• IDEO U: IDEO U is the educational arm of design firm IDEO, offering design thinking courses and certificates to individuals and organizations. It serves a similar learner base (students and professionals seeking innovation/design thinking skills) and overlaps with UIF's core curriculum and methodology.
• Net Impact: Net Impact is a global student-led movement with chapters at universities worldwide focused on using business skills for social and environmental impact. Like UIF, it operates through institutional chapters, runs annual conferences, and is community-led — making mission and operations highly comparable.
• Resolution Project: Resolution Project is a global fellowship that develops socially responsible leaders through university chapters, social impact challenges, and venture support. It directly parallels UIF's structure of student-driven social impact leadership across multiple institutions.

Emerging players

• Echoing Green: Echoing Green runs a global fellowship program identifying and supporting emerging social entrepreneurs and innovators. While more focused on post-grad social enterprise founders, it serves overlapping audiences (student/young-adult changemakers) and offers a model for UIF's Alumni Network evolution.
• Minerva University: Minerva is an innovative higher education institution focused on building critical thinking, leadership, and innovation competencies rather than lecture-based learning. It serves as a model of curriculum innovation in higher ed and competes for the same set of skill-development narratives UIF promotes to its partner institutions.

Others

• Stanford d.school: Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design is the original institutional home and parent program of UIF. It remains the methodological source of the design thinking framework UIF teaches and represents the most natural institutional extension/comparison point for UIF's curriculum IP.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Coursera offers online degrees, certificates, and specializations from top universities, including design thinking and innovation content. As a broad incumbent in online higher education, it competes for the same learner attention and university partnerships that UIF leverages.
• Laureate International Universities: Laureate is one of the largest global networks of for-profit higher education institutions, serving as a broad incumbent comparable to UIF's institutional partnership model and global footprint. It demonstrates the scale UIF could theoretically pursue through deeper institutional licensing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uifellows
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWAU4I4e-xcPMs9Zk6zNV7Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/universityinnovationfellows
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-innovation-fellows

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University Innovation Fellows