A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING UNIVERSITY ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS BASED ON A CASE STUDY APPROACH

University entrepreneurial ecosystems are key drivers of regional development and technological innovation in Latin America—a region still marked by poverty, unemployment, and inequality (Crespi & Tacsir, 2011). Innovation emerges as a social process that transforms scientific knowledge into economic wealth and social well-being (Robledo & Ceballos, 2008).This research adopts a mixed-methods approach based on the analysis of 11 leading Latin American universities. The methodology combines unstructured interviews, qualitative thematic analysis, and quantitative surveys to identify key success factors, such as R&D investment, patent generation, and university–industry collaboration (Yin, 2009; Creswell, 2009).The findings highlight how universities contribute to regional economic development through incentives, technology transfer, and business model generation. Critical indicators include technological readiness, commercialization processes, and intellectual property management. However, institutional gaps and common challenges were identified that limit the full potential of these ecosystems.This study provides policy recommendations to strengthen university–industry collaboration and prioritize investments in applied research, aiming to enhance the role of universities as catalysts for sustainable growth in Latin America (Boucekkine et al., 2014).