Over the past decade, the societal impact of digital transformation, with the prospects of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, has led to an innovation imperative in European policymaking regarding higher education institutions (HEIs). However, not only is the institutional strategic planning of HEIs still understudied, as the individual perceptions of faculty members about existing constraints to digital innovation have been particularly overlooked. This article examines Portuguese universities and polytechnic institutes, the two components of the national higher education system, to (1) characterize the quality of the available digital infrastructure and resources (hardware and software) and (2) identify the main constraints to digital innovation. The study conducts the most comprehensive online questionnaire available to date on these topics across Portuguese HEIs (N = 547). The main constraints to digital innovation correspond to limited infrastructure and resources, lack of funding opportunities, insufficient technological resources, a conservative academic culture, and a lack of technical support. These barriers impact Portuguese regional development, as discussed in this study, highlighting the need for the modernization of HEIs.

在过去的十年中，随着第四次工业革命的到来，数字化转型的社会影响导致了欧洲有关高等教育机构（HEIs）决策的创新势在必行。但是，不仅高教机构的机构战略规划还处于研究不足状态，因为教职员工对数字创新现有限制的个人看法已被特别忽视。本文研究了国家高等教育系统的两个组成部分-葡萄牙大学和理工学院，以（1）表征可用数字基础设施和资源（硬件和软件）的质量，以及（2）确定数字创新的主要制约因素。N  = 547）。数字创新的主要制约因素包括基础设施和资源有限，缺乏资金机会，技术资源不足，保守的学术文化以及缺乏技术支持。如本研究中所讨论的，这些障碍影响了葡萄牙的区域发展，突显了高等教育机构现代化的必要性。