Abstract:

This study analyses the evolution, performance and strategic orientation of the Educational Innovation Projects funded at Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) between 2019 and 2025. During this period, the university issued annual competitive calls aimed at promoting active learning, digital transformation and pedagogical renewal. Although the structure of the calls varied across years, with some academic years including multiple calls (standard institutional call, ULL–ULPGC inter-university call, and specific calls for Service-Learning) they all pursued the same purpose of promoting educational innovation. For this reason, the analysis consolidates all submitted and awarded proposals from the different calls, offering a unified view of global trends.

The dataset comprises 608 submitted proposals and 510 funded projects, classified into nine strategic categories: Teaching Innovation & Active Learning; Technology-Enhanced Learning; Artificial Intelligence; Health Sciences; Social Sciences, Law & Community Engagement; Arts & Humanities; Sustainability & ODS; Communication & Interpersonal Skills; and STEM Education & Engineering Innovation. A longitudinal analysis (2019–2025) was performed to examine participation levels, approval rates and shifts in thematic orientation.

Teaching Innovation & Active Learning remained the most frequently submitted category in this period (53 proposals in total), indicating sustained interest in transforming teaching methodologies. Findings reveal a global adjudication rate of 83.9%, with clear annual fluctuations (from 95.2% in 2019 to 65.5% in 2020). When expressed as a proportion of all funded projects each year, Artificial Intelligence exhibits the strongest growth in the period analyzed: from 0% in 2019 to 16.7% in 2025, becoming one of the most prominent thematic areas in recent calls. Health Sciences also increases significantly, rising from 11.8% to 20.8%. Sustainability, ODS & Service-Learning shows a consistent upward trend, expanding from 7.6% in 2019 to 13.9% in 2025. These shifts are consistent with broader international trends in higher education, where institutions are increasingly incorporating AI-driven methodologies, health-oriented educational innovations and sustainability-focused practices. Category-level approval rates also show structural imbalances: Social Sciences, Law & Community Engagement achieved the highest success rate (89.9%), while Communication, Languages & Interpersonal Skills ranked lowest (72.7%), suggesting differences in consolidation, proposal maturity or alignment with evaluation criteria.

This study provides an integrated longitudinal assessment of ULL’s educational innovation program, revealing how thematic priorities, participation levels and approval rates have evolved across successive calls between 2019 and 2025. The analysis outlines the progressive transformation of the university’s innovation framework and shows how its educational strategy has developed over time.

Keywords:

Educational innovation, evolution analysis, funding programs, thematic trends, approval rates, higher education strategy.