Purpose: Despite existing research on Operational Excellence (OPEX) models implementation across various organizational contexts, including the public sector, there is a gap in addressing this topic specifically in University Research Centres (URC). This paper aims to analyse and compare the most referenced OPEX models to understand their theoretical foundations, principles, and potential for adoption in URC guided by the research question “What essential principles of the most referenced OPEX models can be integrated and adapted to improve operational performance in URC?”. Study design/methodology/approach: The research begins with a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that identifies the referred gap and a wide range of different OPEX models. Next, a filtering process was implemented to identify the most referenced OPEX models. Subsequently, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to identify the principles associated with these models, which were then organised into classes, followed by a study of their potential for adoption in URC organisation and management. Findings: A significant part of OPEX models is inspired in the Toyota Production System, developed in the 1950s. Many common principles were identified in the analysed models and organized into classes. Many of those classes of principles can be materialized in improving the performance of URC organization and management. Adapting these models in URC presents its own set of challenges, requiring alignment with the objectives of public entities. Originality/value: This study aims to consolidate knowledge about various OPEX models, charting a path towards adopting and materializing the best-fit principles of each in URC organization and management. It arises from the urgent need to systematically explore performance improvement methods for Operational Excellence (OE), strongly driven by the negative perception of the scientific community regarding URC organization and management.