In this episode, we are joined by Paula Berton, Scientific Innovation Executive and Academic Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Calgary’s Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, to explore how a research-intensive university is reimagining entrepreneurship from the inside out. Paula shares how the Hunter Hub shifts the focus from startups alone to entrepreneurial thinking as a mindset—building confidence, communication, and collaboration skills across disciplines. She discusses tailoring programmes for researchers, creating one-to-one mentoring with empathy, opening multiple pathways to impact (venture, policy, partnership, community), and working with faculties to bring entrepreneurial learning into curricula and co-curricula.

From moving beyond a single “startup pipeline” to a pathways model that values personal growth as much as venture creation, to designing safe, energising spaces where people can try, fail and try again, to aligning language, partnerships, and metrics so more academics feel welcome—this conversation is packed with practical insights for institutions looking to turn research into real-world value without forcing a one-size-fits-all route.