I LATInsEnt Workshop (UAB, 2025) / Seminar CREIS

On May 9, 2025, the Center for Studies and Research in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation (CREIS) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) hosted the 1st LATInsEnt Workshop and CREIS Seminar. This academic initiative resulted from the collaboration between members of the InsEnt SIG-European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB) and the Entrepreneurship Section of ACEDE (Scientific Association of Economics and Business Management). The event focused on analyzing institutions and entrepreneurship in the Latin American-Mediterranean context.

The event was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Àlex Rialp, who emphasized the importance of such initiatives in strengthening entrepreneurship research. Following this, Professor David Urbano, director of CREIS, presented the workshop objectives, highlighting the importance of analysis within the framework of institutions and entrepreneurship. As the keynote presentation of the CREIS Seminar, Ester Bernadó, professor at TecnoCampus-UPF, shared her work "Entrepreneurial Universities: An Institutional Perspective," where she analyzed different models of entrepreneurial universities, levels of institutional maturity, and development pathways. During her presentation, Bernadó discussed the HEInnovate framework as a tool for strategic reflection and addressed entrepreneurial competencies according to field of study and academic year.

Following the main presentation, a debate session questioned the concept of "entrepreneurial universities" and explored the cultural transformation challenges faced by academic institutions. Attendees agreed on the need to promote changes in institutional mindset as a key factor in driving effective entrepreneurial initiatives.

This first workshop marks the beginning of a collaborative space aimed at generating knowledge and concrete proposals to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem from academic institutions, with special attention to the Latin American-Mediterranean context.