University innovation hubs shape ‘future of work’

Massive changes are afoot in terms of how people find and perform their jobs and how organizations get the most from the current and future workforce. These dynamics are part of a well-studied trend called the “future of work.”

“The future of work involves complex challenges, such as emerging and shifting technologies, evolving talent needs and adaptations to virtual and physical work environments, which no single sector is equipped to fully prepare for on its own,” said Dedric A. Carter, Carolina’s vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development and chief innovation officer.

One place where these sectors come together is a university-affiliated innovation hub, like UNC-Chapel Hill’s Innovate Carolina Junction. These hubs are filling a critical gap and serving as strategic connectors that create partnerships among private industry, education, government and nonprofit organizations, Carter said.

“How Will University Innovation Hubs Shape the Future of Work?” is an Innovate Carolina report that sheds fresh perspective on the national future of work conversation. The report is based on in-depth interviews with leaders from 11 university-affiliated innovation hubs across the United States. It emerged from discussions sparked at an innovation summit hosted at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Innovate Carolina Junction in 2024, which brought together 50 innovation hub leaders from 20 states.

These are the five key areas where innovation hubs will influence the future of work most:

• Talent. Entrepreneurial skills are the most common type of skillset hub leaders say they have developed programs to address — and they are heavily embedding ways to build human skills (also known as soft or professional skills) into these programs. Technical skills are the second most frequently cited.
• Technology. Innovation hubs focused on training others to use more advanced and emerging tools: AI, data science, robotics, etc. This reveals a potential opportunity to share practical, everyday tech tools that could boost productivity.
• Workspaces and work modes. Innovation hubs are reimagining workspaces to support in-person, hybrid and remote work. Many feature co-working areas and flexible, tech-enabled environments like makerspaces and prototyping labs to encourage collaboration. Hubs also navigate the challenge of balancing physical infrastructure with the growing demand for remote and hybrid work options.
• Partnerships. Hubs that act as conveners and ecosystem builders show how universities can bring together disparate stakeholders for large-scale impact. These hubs are not just supporting research or training workers; they are strategically aligning regional economic strengths with national and state priorities (e.g., aerospace in New Mexico, robotics in Pittsburgh and med-tech in Minnesota) that are critical to the future of work.
• Economic impact. Hub leaders indicated they see their future-of-work efforts making an economic impact in a multitude of ways. The most frequently cited were expanding the capacity to conduct research, building entrepreneurial skills and commercializing research. They measure future-of-work impact through quantitative metrics like numbers of patents, startups and jobs created. Hubs are increasingly exploring long-term qualitative impacts, such as skill translation and regional economic resilience.

“As we’ve brought leaders together at our own Innovate Carolina Junction hub to explore the future of work, we’ve consistently heard them express that they want to continue learning and collaborating with one another,” said Sheryl Waddell, director of innovation hubs and engagement at Carolina. “Hubs that come together around shared strategies for the future of work, exchanging insights, aligning efforts and innovating collectively are able to move faster and achieve more. This kind of collaboration amplifies their impact beyond any single campus or city, positioning them to better manage workforce shifts and strengthen economic competitiveness at both regional and national levels.”

Read more about the future of work and download the report.