Entrepreneurial universities increasingly function as institutional coordinators in innovation ecosystems by reducing commercialisation frictions through governance, intellectual property (IP) support, and industry linkage capacity. This study examines Kosovo as a small and emerging economy where ecosystem constraints—limited commercialisation infrastructure, weak research–industry interfaces, and fragmented entrepreneurship pipelines—may amplify the marginal returns of university technology transfer capacity. The paper develops an indicator-based framework to operationalise technology transfer office (TTO) activity as a composite index capturing IP support, partnership throughput, mentorship intensity, and pipeline governance. Using an internally consistent demonstrative dataset to illustrate a replicable analytic workflow, the study evaluates descriptive associations between TTO activity, university spinout formation, and a growth proxy. Results indicate strong alignment between higher TTO activity and increased spinout formation (Figure 1; Table 1). To support present versus near-future comparisons, the paper incorporates macroeconomic benchmarks: Kosovo’s real GDP growth reached 4.4% in 2024 and is expected to be 3.8% in both 2025 and 2026, while the IMF reports 2025 projected growth of 3.9% (Figure 2; Table 2). The paper concludes with a scalable entrepreneurial university model and a KPI dashboard suitable for ecosystem governance in transitional economies.
Edmond Hajrizi (Tue,) studied this question.