University innovation fellows | the changemakers of the future
Goals of the project:
- Empower students to become agents of change within higher education
- Develop a design-centered mindset to take on complex global challenges
- Create opportunities that help peers unlock creative potential
- Fill systemic gaps in university innovation ecosystems
- Foster a European Hub for innovation in education, led by student visionaries
- Facilitate inspiration, education, support, communication, and community-building
Background & Description:
The University Innovation Fellows (UIF) program, former led by Stanford University's d.school (now taken over by UT (DesignLab), is a worldwide movement that empowers students to create lasting change in their universities and communities. Since 2016, DesignLab has served as the coordinating hub for the University of Twente’s participation, led by Mascha van der Voort and Miriam Iliohan, who initiated the collaboration with Stanford.
Fellows from the University of Twente have developed entrepreneurship programs, student-driven innovation spaces, and curricular change initiatives. They serve as a bridge between student communities and university leadership, advocating for more inclusive, creative, and challenge-driven education.
UIF’s mission at UT is also to build a European community of changemakers, establishing Twente as a regional hub for innovation in education. The program trains students in design thinking, leadership, and community-building, and encourages them to initiate their own projects that improve educational culture and infrastructure.
In this special edition of the DesignLab Brew podcast about educational innovation, UT student and team member UIF Twente Panashe Mangezi, and co-founder and manager DesignLab, as well as Faculty Innovation (Founding) Fellow and coach Miriam Iliohan, proudly explain how this programme is embedded in the UT ecosystem, and what it means for the personal and professional development of students.
Below is a recap of when the UIF cohort from the States came to visit us in Twente a few years ago... And stay tuned, because this year's recap video of the UIF Meetup (that took place in DesignLab) will be up soon!
Consortium:
- Stanford University (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design)
- University of Twente (DesignLab)
- European University Network (informal collaborations)
Contact:
