{"id":168978,"date":"2025-04-02T15:11:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T21:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=168978"},"modified":"2025-04-02T15:11:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T21:11:40","slug":"monterrey-economic-innovation-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/cities-and-prosperous-communities\/monterrey-economic-innovation-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"Monterrey Economic Innovation Hub: Rethinking the Social and Environmental Impact of Entrepreneurship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every month, hundreds of women gather <\/strong>alongside researchers, professors, business leaders, and public officials with one goal in mind: to boost their economic development and empower themselves. These are the Women\u2019s Circles<\/strong>, an initiative that\u2019s part of the Monterrey Economic Innovation Hub<\/a>, aimed at making visible and valuing the economic contributions of women in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roughly 200 participants come together to address topics such as gender equality and gender-based violence, entrepreneurship with a gender perspective, leadership, and personal growth, explains Alma Yadira Bayona<\/a>, director of the hub and head researcher at the Center for Conscious Enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to talks featuring international guests<\/strong> such as Carolina Nieto, General Director of Ashoka M\u00e9xico, Central America, and the Caribbean, and Mar\u00eda De Barbieri, Director of the Economic Innovation Hub in Uruguay, participants receive hands-on training through practical workshops that equip them with the tools to start their businesses<\/a><\/strong> and recognize the economic and social value of their efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of each session, we ask them to fill out a survey\u2014but it\u2019s not just to find out if they liked the event or not. It\u2019s a scientific tool to measure the progress of these women,\u201d Bayona explains, pointing out that the Circles are part of a formal research project focused on women\u2019s entrepreneurship<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the topic of female entrepreneurship, the hub also explores other lines of research such as circular economy<\/a>, conscious capitalism, and social innovation, among others. These initiatives are rooted in the concept of triple-impact entrepreneurship<\/strong> and combine research with action. The hub also serves as a collaborative space<\/strong> where private sector representatives, government, and academia come together to develop initiatives that tackle global challenges, always starting from a local perspective\u2014beginning with Nuevo Le\u00f3n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Triple-Impact Entrepreneurship?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Monterrey Economic Innovation Hub<\/a> is a program run by the Department of Entrepreneurship at the Business School<\/a>, backed by funding from Canada\u2019s International Development Research Centre<\/a> (IDRC). The initiative draws inspiration from the concept of triple-impact entrepreneurship, which defines B Corporations\u2014businesses that not only drive economic growth but also promote social well-being and protect the environment<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis funding was designed so that we, as researchers, can identify which elements and stakeholders need to be mobilized in order to spark real change on issues like water and air quality, gender-based violence, and equality, among others,\u201d explains the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hub carries out its research through a multidisciplinary team<\/strong> that brings together experts in sustainable finance, social entrepreneurship, educational innovation from the Institute for the Future of Education<\/a>, public policy, and conscious capitalism. The project includes 12 faculty researchers from the Tec de Monterrey Business School<\/strong>, as well as collaborators from other institutions such as the Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Nuevo Le\u00f3n<\/strong>, the Universidad de Monterrey<\/strong>, and the Universidad Regiomontana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the initiative is supported by an advisory board tasked with evaluating its progress<\/strong>. This board includes public sector workers specializing in social innovation, members of national chambers of commerce, civil society organizations focused on sustainability and equity, and business leaders with experience in circular economy practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Monterrey Economic Innovation Hub is also part of a broader ecosystem across Latin America<\/strong>, collaborating with similar hubs in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hub\u2019s Lines of Research<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The hub\u2019s research efforts are grounded in the principles of triple-impact entrepreneurship. According to its director, the team has set an ambitious goal: to publish at least six research articles each year based on these research-action lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n