The decision to start a business is shaped by both local and national contexts that can support, encourage, and nurture entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurial environment includes many dimensions, such as access to affordable workspaces and the strength of professional and commercial networks. Innovation districts – geographic areas where research institutions, startups, and established companies cluster and connect – can play a vital role in fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and supporting new ventures.
One example is the innovation district being developed by Tecnológico de Monterrey, a national hub for entrepreneurship, innovation, and business development in Mexico. Through a combination of physical infrastructure, research-led initiatives, and community engagement, the university is redefining how entrepreneurship is embedded into the urban ecosystem. In November 2022, the district officially launched with the inauguration of Latin America's first Science Gallery, marking a significant milestone in its development.
Mario Adrián Flores, Vice President of the Monterrey Region and General Director of the Monterrey Campus, emphasized the importance of bridging gaps between sectors: “We’re developing a larger view of what innovation districts should be like. We believe that we can have a greater impact by connecting with the community and minimising the gap between science, technology, and society through the dissemination of the arts.”
The Expedition Building
One of the flagship projects within the Monterrey Innovation District is the Expedition FEMSA building. Inaugurated on campus in Decmeber 2024, this space was designed to combine applied research, creativity, and entrepreneurial leadership to collaboratively address global challenges. It houses 29 initiatives from Tec’s national schools and three interdisciplinary research institutes.
Tec Rector Juan Pablo Murra stated: “These new spaces invite us to find a new way of working, influencing, innovating, and making an impact. They invite us to work more collaboratively, in an interdisciplinary fashion, thinking about the impact they can achieve and yielding results from the dreams that led to their creation.”
José Antonio Torre, Director of the Center for the Future of Cities at Tec, echoed this sentiment:
“This building is not only a physical space; it’s a platform where ideas, talent, and sustainability converge. We believe in the potential of our cities to be more human, sustainable, and prosperous, and this building is the engine driving us to that future.”
Looking Ahead: The Eduardo Garza T. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub
Scheduled to open in late 2026, the Eduardo Garza T. Innovation and Entrepreneurship HUB will further advance Tec’s vision. The building is being designed as a place for connection, outreach, and engagement between entrepreneurs, researchers, organizations, and students.
Rector Murra explained: “We believe this will be a space not only for students and professors from the Tec community but also for anyone with the capacity to innovate, to create, to be inspired, and who believes they can build something with others. The idea is to attract more and better talent – students, professors, and entrepreneurs – who can help change the culture and help us change our behaviors to do things differently and better.”
Conclusion
Innovation districts like the one at Tecnológico de Monterrey are reshaping how entrepreneurship ecosystems function. By integrating research, business, education, and community, these districts become engines of inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-led growth. As GEM data increasingly highlights the importance of local contexts and institutional support in entrepreneurship development, examples like Tecnológico de Monterrey offer a powerful model for how innovation can be spatially and socially embedded in the cities of tomorrow.
We thank GEM Mexico, host of the GEM 2025/2026 Global Report Launch, for providing this material and helping to put our data in a real-world context.