GInI Launches Certified Innovative University® (CInU®) Accreditation

April 2025 – GInI News

The Global Innovation Institute (GInI) has introduced the Certified Innovative University® (CInU®) accreditation—a new global standard for recognizing universities that demonstrate institutional maturity in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The CInU® framework evaluates universities across nine key domains:
Operations, Research, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Faculty, Facilities, Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer, Professional Certification Efforts, and New Venture Incubation.

Beginning 01 May 2025, universities will be ranked using GInI’s new seven-tier star-based ranking system, tied directly to their overall assessment score:

New Ranking Scale:
0.00 – 3.00                       Non-Innovative
3.01 – 5.00                       Three Stars
5.01 – 6.00                       Four Stars
6.01 – 7.00                       Five Stars
7.01 – 8.00                       Six Stars
8.01 – 10.00                    Seven Stars

Assessments are conducted onsite by two GInI Authorized Innovation Assessors® (AInAs)®, coordinated through an Authorized Training & Assessment Provider® (ATAP)®, with final accreditation decisions issued by GInI.

Additionally, GInI is instituting a new reassessment policy: each reassessment must be conducted by a different set of Assessors than those involved in the immediately preceding cycle. This ensures every accreditation is reviewed with a fresh, objective perspective at a minimum of every other cycle.

GInI Executive Director Anthony Mills described the initiative as “a rigorous and practical tool for measuring a university’s capacity to enable innovation in a structured and meaningful way.”

As part of the launch, GInI is offering a limited-time incentive:
• The first university in each country to begin the CInU® process will have their first-year GInI fee waived.
• The second and third universities will receive a 50% discount on the first-year fee.