The University of North Texas has been selected as one of 49 “proven innovator” institutions in 23 countries to participate in the Inaugural Innovation Sandbox of the Future Universities Alliance (FUA), organized by Duke University.
The alliance is a global network incubated at Duke University to connect higher education institutions and advance shared learning and innovation. The inaugural cohort of the Innovation Sandbox is a 12-month peer learning program that supports ambitious, institution-shaping initiatives and brings together founders, academic leaders, and other innovators from a broad range of institutional models.
UNT President Harrison Keller said that participating in the alliance “will give UNT an extraordinary opportunity to learn from some of the most innovative institutions all over the world who are, like us, working to transform higher education to meet the challenging demands of the future.”
“It will also be an opportunity for UNT to share our work with others, as we blaze new trails for how a public research university can serve its students and society,” Keller added in a statement.
Other U.S. universities in the cohort include Northeastern University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Georgetown University. Participating institutions outside the U.S. come from Australia, Botswana, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Türkiye, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
Reimagining higher ed
According to a FUA press release, the inaugural cohort highlights “the breadth of contemporary higher education innovation,” from new universities to established institutions reimagining all dimensions, from curriculum to institutional design. The universities share a commitment to “deepening the quality of learning and expanding access across diverse contexts.”
For the Innovation Sandbox, UNT said it will focus on “reimagining the future of the public research university” by concentrating on academic restructuring and integrating interdisciplinary experiential learning throughout the curriculum.
“The changes we’re making at UNT are moving at a remarkable speed and scale,” Keller said. “Everything we can do to engage with smart innovators all over the world, and to share those findings with the UNT community and our regional partners will help us continue to move with vision and purpose.”
The Sandbox program runs July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Participants will engage in monthly facilitated small-group sessions, structured milestone meetings with executive sponsors, and the Global Summit in Durham, North Carolina, October 3–5, 2026.
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