What strategies are feasible to enhance the competencies and motivation of teachers in university education on a large scale (empowerment)? This enhancement will be of decisive importance for the realisation and the quality of curriculum innovations. For this reason we analysed the process of innovation in Utrecht University (The Netherlands) in the past ten years: to what extent has the vision to enhance the competencies and the motivation of teachers indeed resulted in the realisation of this vision, in an actual enhancement of the competencies and motivation of the teachers and in successful innovations of curricula? Based on quality assessments by visitation and accreditation panels, and on evaluation data of student questionnaires through the years we analyse whether there is substantial evidence for an answer to this question...