The University Innovation Fellows (UIF) is a group of students and faculty from Sophia University who have received design thinking training from Stanford University‘s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). Its mission is to empower students to become leaders of change by sparking their creative confidence and building a culture of collaboration. This is achieved by fostering design thinking, innovation, and a spirit of entrepreneurship Under this mission, UIF Sophia actively engages in activities such as collaborating with organizations both within and outside the university, holding workshops, and planning events. SDGs x Innovation Sparker is a bilingual idea proposal competition held over two days.

It aims to foster creativity and collaboration among students, faculty and staff in order to work towards a sustainable campus. Furthermore, the group also collaborates with secondary and higher education facilities, including Seisen International School and Reitaku University, on youth empowerment and design thinking workshops.