Drivers of Opportunity Exploitation in Entrepreneurial Universities: A Meta Synthesis Study

Background: The shift toward the entrepreneurial university has underscored the importance of effectively exploiting scientific and technological opportunities as a key performance indicator.Despite the growing body of research in this field, a comprehensive picture of the key drivers and their impact mechanisms on entrepreneurial universities remains elusive.This study aims to systematically identify and explain these drivers within the literature on the entrepreneurial university.Methods: In terms of purpose, the research is applied, and in terms of methodology, it is qualitative, conducted through a meta synthesis approach following the seven step framework by Sandelowski et al.Data were collected from the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases covering the period 2000-2025.The initial search yielded 727 articles.After excluding non English articles, duplicates, and screening titles and abstracts for relevance and full text availability, 60 eligible articles were ultimately selected.Results: The analysis of the selected articles identified 14 drivers that influence opportunity exploitation in entrepreneurial universities.These drivers were classified into four main categories: 1) Knowledge Value Chain, 2) Governance and Organizational Capabilities, 3) Agency and Learning, and finally, 4) Value Creating Linkages. Conclusion:The findings of the present study indicate that successful opportunity exploitation in entrepreneurial universities follows a multi level mechanism and synergistic interplay among drivers within these four categories.This provides a clear path for researchers to develop advanced analytical and empirical models, enabling the examination of the relative impact of each dimension and mechanism.Consequently, it can serve as a foundation for practical guidance for university administrators and policymakers in the university entrepreneurship ecosystem.