A micro and meso analysis of the role of principal investigators in entrepreneurial university ecosystems

This study investigates the Principal Investigator's (PI's) role in enhancing Technology Transfer (TT) culture within a University Ecosystem (UE). We propose an approach for diagnosing TT culture within a UE at the microand meso-levels. The approach employs a survey to assess the UE's maturity regarding the core competencies of a PI. The approach: (i) assesses UE's maturity and categorises its researchers regarding the PI's core competencies, (ii) assesses researchers' resources and capabilities, and (iii) assesses the UE's TT culture. We applied the proposed approach to a large Brazilian university for testing and validation. The findings offer a comprehensive overview of UE's TT culture and highlight the PI's pivotal role in establishing a robust UE. As a contribution, we offer a practical approach to diagnosing a university ecosystem's TT culture through micro and meso-level analysis, advancing research on PI's role in aligning a UE to the Entrepreneurial University (EU) concept.