Abstract
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EE) is a novel perspective from which to analyze the interplay between support systems and businesses in regions. Simultaneously, universities have been playing increasingly important roles in entrepreneurship, fostering regional economic growth both through wider Regional EEs (REEs) and their own University EEs (UEEs). Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiRs), chosen by universities as exemplar entrepreneurs, therefore provide potentially important conduits between REEs, UEEs and entrepreneurs, leading us to explore how and why do EiRs and universities interact in relation to entrepreneurial ecosystems? The Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted many businesses’ access to resources, giving a particular temporal context to this research. Our qualitative case study of two UK universities identifies accessing resources, building legitimacy and undertaking bridging activities as the three highest-level dimensions characterising EiR-University interactions, which also have relevance for REEs and UEEs more widely, and that offer a framework for future EiR programmes. We, therefore, contribute to the EE literature by examining the role of regional universities as anchor tenants and catalysts of entrepreneurial resilience within regions, and call for further research into EiR-university interactions in different institutional contexts.