<p>Innovation is critical for higher education in the 21st century. It can improve teaching and learning, increase research quality and impact, solve social problems, and bring more funding and collaboration. It can also boost the happiness and creativity of staff and students, who can follow their interests, try new things, and work with different people. But innovation is not simple. It requires a positive and supportive culture, a clear and shared vision, a strong and effective leadership, and a regular and systematic evaluation. This seeks to review the existing research on innovation in higher education, analyze and discuss how academic leaders can encourage and enable innovation in higher education, and to further provide some helpful and evidence-based suggestions for academic leaders and practitioners who want to innovate in higher education.</p>