Ecossistemas de inovação: uma análise da Região Noroeste e Missões do estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Innovation ecosystems are highly relevant as they operate through interactions between different types of organizations and their environment, fostering the development of partnerships in which a set of actors seek innovation, and build capabilities in value co-creation, with the functional objective of technology and innovation development. In this way, understanding the behavior of the many actors is fundamental as it represents an important sector for local and regional development. The main purpose of the present research is to understand the functioning of the innovation ecosystem in the Northwest and Missions regions of Rio Grande do Sul. In addition to the main purpose, the research has the following specific purposes: a) to describe the process of building the innovation ecosystem in the Northwest and Missions region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul; b) to identify the actors of the innovation ecosystem, their roles, and how they can contribute to the development of new technologies; c) to evaluate the innovation ecosystem as a driver in the creation of technology-based companies. The study is characterized by empirical research with a qualitative approach, of exploratory and descriptive nature. It was carried out through a single case study to investigate the innovation ecosystem in the Northwest and Missions regions of Rio Grande do Sul. For data collection, documentary research and analysis of websites were conducted to understand the innovation ecosystem in the state and the study region. Subsequently, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was performed to comprehend the topic and deepen the research conducted. Based on this, a framework was developed, which included the identification of seven groups of actors. Through the developed framework, it was observed that the actors of the innovation ecosystem are classified into seven groups: 01) Ideation, 02) Investors, 03) Research and Development (R&D), 04) Support and related organizations, 05) Industries, 06) Startups, and 07) Society. The results indicated that the construction of the innovation ecosystem in the Northwest and Missions regions is in a phase of evolution and expansion. Among the interactions of the actors, the interaction between technology incubators, universities, and the government stands out. The innovation ecosystem must undergo significant development to reach a more advanced level that can foster the creation of highly technological companies and provide a thriving environment for their growth.