Regional Ecosystem Quality and University Spin-Off Growth in Internal Areas: Evidence on Territorial Resilience from Italian Academic Entrepreneurship

This study examines how territorial peripherality and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem quality shape the growth trajectories of Italian university spin-offs, with a specific focus on internal areas. Combining firm-level data from NETVAL and AIDA with territorial indicators from the Italian Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) and ISTAT, we construct a panel of 655 university spin-offs observed between 2018 and 2022. Two composite indicators capture provincial peripherality and regional ecosystem quality. Using mixed-effects models, we analyse their effects on revenue and employment growth. Results show that stronger regional ecosystems support employment growth overall and significantly amplify revenue growth for spin-offs located in internal areas, partially compensating for structural territorial disadvantages. The findings highlight the importance of place-based ecosystem policies and the strategic role of universities in fostering knowledge-based development and proxy indicators of territorial resilience in peripheral regions.