How Will University Innovation Hubs Shape the Future of Work?
Part 1: Talent and Technology
Guest blog by Brock Pierce (brock.pierce@unc.edu) Associate Director of Innovation and Economic Impact
The University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
In this two-part blog, we preview themes of a soon-to-be-released report by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Innovate Carolina team that explores how university-based innovation hubs and industry partners will shape the future of work. Part one offers a preview of the types of skill hubs organizations build that are helping people—and some of the common methods they’re using to do so.
April 1, 2025 — As workforce demands shift, university-affiliated innovation hubs are poised to help students, professionals, and entrepreneurs navigate the future of work. A forthcoming report from Innovate Carolina, the university-wide initiative for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, uniquely explores how these hubs create talent pipelines, foster technological advancements, and drive economic impact.
In May 2024, Innovate Carolina convened a group of innovation hub leaders for a summit (see the event summary) in Chapel Hill, hosted with UIDP and its consulting arm, UI Collab. The event brought together 50 hub leaders from more than 20 states to explore the roles they play in driving the future of work, one of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s 10 Big Ideas for research focus.
The upcoming report, “How Will University Innovation Hubs Shape the Future of Work?” explores best practices and trends discussed at the summit and is based on in-depth interviews with leaders from 11 university-affiliated innovation hubs across the United States, representing a mix of research parks, innovation districts, and university-managed centers. Despite variations in scope, size, and governance, the hubs share common goals: accelerating talent growth, translating research into real-world applications, and strengthening regional economies.
The future of work is here—and innovation hubs are primed for impact
The future of work is evolving rapidly, from artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to hybrid work and lifelong learning. Innovation hubs are collaborative environments where researchers, students, startups, and companies experiment, learn, and adapt. The report describes how these hubs go beyond technology to also focus on the human side of work, cultivating entrepreneurial skills, mentorship, and experiential learning to prepare workers for emerging job fields.
A hub for talent development
One key finding is that hubs approach entrepreneurship as a broad skill-building framework, integrating technical, human, and role-based skills. In fact, 10 of the 11 hub representatives interviewed said they already offer programs for building entrepreneurial skills. Mentorship and expert coaching are the most common methods that hub leaders cited for developing entrepreneurial, technical, and functional skills, underscoring the importance of personalized guidance. Hubs are also finding success with virtual skill-building programs that offer greater accessibility to workforce development programs beyond traditional geographic boundaries. Another way hubs expand access to workforce development opportunities is by partnering with community colleges to create stackable certificate programs that complement four-year degrees, enhancing graduates’ marketability. Leaders also report being increasingly mindful of targeting skills that will be valuable in the short- and long-term. For instance, as AI automates more tasks, hubs are reevaluating skills training to emphasize competencies that technology cannot easily replace.
Technology: Powering the future of work
Technology sits at the center of the future of work, and university-affiliated innovation hubs facilitate the adoption of new tools in transformative ways. They offer mentorship, boot camps, and seed grants to keep individuals and organizations competitive. Some hubs are hiring mentors with deep experience in AI and other technologies while also forming peer-driven tech communities of practice that foster collaboration and accelerate technology adoption across teams, organizations, and disciplines. While hubs frequently use cloud computing and collaboration tools internally, the support they offer to help other organizations adopt new tools often emphasizes advanced technologies like AI, data science, and robotics to help bridge practical tech adoption gaps.
Research security requirements, restrictions on tech access for hub partners, and unreliable, low-bandwidth network infrastructures can pose obstacles for innovation hubs in implementing and advocating for emerging technologies. These barriers can reduce hubs’ flexibility in testing and integrating tools like augmented and virtual reality and the Internet of Things, thus limiting workforce training initiatives and industry partnerships.
Why it matters
The future of work isn’t a lofty concept far on the horizon—it’s here and taking shape. University innovation hubs are uniquely positioned to help drive the future of work because they are natural conveners of key stakeholders across academia, industry, and government. As ecosystem builders, hubs demonstrate how universities can bring together different constituencies and communities to equip individuals with critical skills, align education with industry needs, build infrastructure for tomorrow’s workforce, and help spark large-scale economic impact.
Want to learn more? Innovate Carolina will present its findings on April 8 at UIDP Utah 2025 in Salt Lake City (learn more and register) and during a UIDP-hosted webinar on May 14. You can also sign up to receive the report when it’s released. Don’t miss these opportunities to engage in the conversation and discover how your organization can benefit from these insights.
In part two, learn how university innovation hubs are approaching emerging work environments, how and why they’re forming productive partnerships with various academic, industry, and public stakeholders to advance physical workspaces and talent pipelines, and how they set out to measure their impact on the future of work.
We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the future of work? Let us know on LinkedIn.