Governing Internal Innovation in Higher Education: Evidence From a 5-Year President-Led Challenge Program

Universities are under increasing pressure to convert strategic priorities into participatory and sustained internal change. This study examines a 5-year president-led challenge program at a private Latin American university as a governance mechanism for internal innovation. Drawing on annual program documentation, a consolidated participant database covering 3772 applicant records and 2738 unique individuals, implementation-tracking records, and documented lessons learned, the analysis examines how challenge themes, participant profiles, winner profiles, and implementation trajectories evolved from 2021 to 2025. Findings show a shift from pandemic continuity and student transition issues toward inclusion, sustainability, mobility, wellbeing and artificial intelligence governance. Applicant and winner profiles differed significantly in every year, suggesting recognition was associated with changing forms of expertise and institutional proximity rather than simple participation volume. The program was strongest at agenda setting, mobilization, ideation support, and recognition, whereas movement from recognized proposals to institutional deployment remained selective. The paper contributes to higher education governance by showing how president-led but multilevel challenge routines can organize participation, internal innovation, and organizational learning over time without assuming that every recognized idea becomes institutionalized.