Science and Innovation in North Patagonia Argentina
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Science and Innovation in North Patagonia Argentina P. I. Laría S. R. Cabezas V. Rama Economics and Administration Faculty – Comahue National University Buenos Aires 1400 8300 Neuquén - Argentina Abstract- This paper shows preliminary results from a study of the different: invention first and development as commodity Scientific-Technological System (CTS) located in Río Negro y afterwards. Neuquén at north of Patagonia, in Argentine. Actual report There is a less conventional approach which conceives innovations includes first step of the analysis over Río Negro, particularly as changes in social practices. Along those practices, social actors Bariloche´s region. create, perform, decode and owner technologies. In broad outlines our aim consists in building a characterization Preliminary findings show a diversified institutional and of local CTS, identifying the organizations it includes (those organizational structure at Bariloche, that concentrates belonging to the state, publics ones and private enterprises), their significant investment in Scientific and Technological Activities innovative activities and networks with local and regional (STA) over territory under study. Although we also found productive structure. warning signals: concentration in a few productive sectors and Main questions aimed to answer are: organizations, not enough links with micro, smalls and medium ¿What significant institutions and organizations can be found as a enterprises and lack of connection with regional economy. part of SCT in those State’s territory? Institutional web appears with features of duality, in the sense ¿What kind of innovative activity they perform? that includes exports of products and processes with scientific ¿How can be those activities related to other regional and local value added, as nuclear power stations, and also straightforward organizations as enterprises, government, No Profit Organizations techniques with high social impact. (NPO) and other possible constituents of the CTS)? In our work we applied different techniques: I. INTRODUCTION • Interviews with key scientific, policy makers and The analysis of SCT settled in north of Patagonia (Argentina) managers rests in a conceptual framework with ideas belonging to four • Financial information from organization’s accountability • Series from Science, Technology and Innovation fields: Human and Sustainable Development, Innovation and Ministries from federal and states governments Technology, Knowledge Society and Ecological Economics, as • Journalistic information from “Río Negro” newspaper can be seen in the following diagram. files. We are particularly interested in organize and distinguish Conceptual framework includes the following ideas and categories: economic, social, environmental and institutional aspects of • Innovation Systems (IS), which names different scientific and technical processes. Innovations have different institutions and interaction between them and determines sources and aims: human development, social experiences or innovative performance of firms, universities, government, environmental protection. educational institution and social organizations). • “Regional Innovative Systems (RIS)”, shaped by Strengths and Weaknesses of local business webs and technological supplies/demands (the explicit and implicit ones ) • “Milieu” conceived as “innovative territorial neighborhood” taken from works of GREMI (Group for European Research on Innovative Environments) • “Human Development Technology (HDT)”. This approach drives relationship between Science, Technology and Society to special objectives: life quality, basic essentials, and broader opportunities to access to commodities and services plus fair deal distribution of wealth. • “Social innovation”. An invention traditionally defines as a creative and insight process to solve troubles. Complementary, innovation reshapes inventions and transforms them in products and services with some utility. Consequently, one can distinguish two steps in technological development, which are qualitatively II. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIONS EXPRESS SCIENCE – A certain kind of orthodox thinking deal with invention as an TECHNOLOGY -SOCIETY RELATIÓNSHIP insight, hardworking and creative process oriented to solve a The line of thinking known as Science – Technology – Society trouble. The possible consequent innovation is seen as this new (STS) arise as a kind of academic reaction to the traditional idea’s recreation and transformation in useful objects. From idea of Technology and its three ways of interpretation: the this sort of classical view a subject, an object and a creative “intellectualist” one, pointing applied science as fundamental instance can be easily distinguished. Technological feature, the instrumental approach resting in tools and development includes two qualitatively different phases: machines, and the autonomous version embedded of its own invention and its consequent development as a product. logic of efficacy. Its conventional lineal statement that begins with SCIENTIFIC PROGRES crosses → THE TECHNOLOGICAL From a very different point of view "new" technologies are PERFORMANCE and ended in → ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL decoded and owned by actors in their practice’s context in an DEVELOPMENT was replaced for a mutual influencing active way. relationship between Technology and Society. Technology co - Therefore innovation means a change in social practices and evolves and is embedded in Society. emerges only when “the way of doing things” really changes. As a parallelism, “human development” concept appeared As a consequence, policy makers, promotional activities, even renewing the issue now inside a constructivist, subjective and generation and diffusion of technologies, play minor roles. inter-subjective, normative and endogenous framework. The They can detect necessities and problems and they may even change implies an evolution in the direction of a future contribute to find solutions, but users are who truly decide and conceived with human as a biological but also a spiritual being. applied. Sensitive useful of technology is rooted in social The concretion of this depends on collective auto confidence in practice, and is based on “collective common sense”. Sensitive mobilize existing resources and create new ones, working from use of technology is inherently a social phenomenon related to 1 2 the own territory in cooperation and solidarity . social practices5. From this view Human Development Technology (HDT) matches with CTS relationship, driving it to a long term target: III. NEUQUÉN AND RÍO NEGRO: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MAP increasing quality of life, more satisfaction and broad opportunities of getting material and no – material wealth Down in the map of States of Río Negro and Neuquén, can be going beyond nowadays inequality. localized those cities or geographic places that concentrates Lundvall´s Innovation System provides "the elements and Scientific and Technical Institutions (STI). The expression STI relationships interplaying in production, spreading and is applied in a broad sense, including universities (Comahue application of new and economically useful knowledge "3. The National and National Technological), public and privates HD vision conceives each component of the system with a organizations. particular role to play and also certain relationships to article. These “nodes” are Zapala, Cutral Có – Plaza Huincul, San Innovation is the key stone to face fundamental constrains and Martín de los Andes, Neuquén, Bariloche - Pilcaniyeu, the so unbalances at regions and cities: potential and useless called high valley from Río Negro to Cinco Saltos - Villa resources, traditional production’s falling of competitiveness. Regina, Choele Choel, San Antonio Oeste and Viedma. The New commodities, processes and tools have to be tried and map is not a complete one, because it doesn’t cover the totality own human skills and knowledge revalued. Besides, of science and technology’s institutional expressions. We had government private enterprises and each kind of organization selected a brunch taken into account “significant” formal have to guide its objectives to build a whole innovation’s organizations considering output of innovations generated. context. The so called "regional innovation systems" refers fundamentally to creation of integrated systems based on localizations plenty of human and technological resources. III. INNOVATION AS SOCIAL PRACTICE Nowadays innovation is perceived not only as an economic process, but as a social phenomenon influenced by a multiplicity of connections between social actors. In this sense, is possible to make a difference between innovation and invention4. 1 Boisier Sergio (2003) ¿Y si el desarrollo fuese una emergencia sistémica? Ciudad y Territorio – estudios Territoriales 138 2 (2001) Desarrollo (local): ¿De qué estamos hablando? http://www.cedet.edu.ar/sitio/agenda/boisier.pdf http://www.jrc.es/~tuomiil/articles/OrganizingForStrategicKnowledgeCreation 3 VALENTI LÓPEZ P (2002) "La Sociedad de la Información en América Ch14.pdf 5 Latina y el Caribe: Tics y un nuevo Marco Institucional" Revista Finquelievich S “Innovación, tecnología y prácticas sociales en las ciudades: Iberoamericana de Ciencia, Tecnología, Sociedad e Innovación Nº 2. hacia los laboratorios vivientes” Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad Volumen 3 4 TUOMI, I. (1999): "Organizing for strategic knowledge creation", en Número 9 CA Buenos Aires mayo/agosto 2007 Corporate Knowledge: Theory and Practice of