"INNOVATION IS IN OUR DNA": Structural inequality in innovation processes in São José dos Campos (SP)

• Grant number: 24/01767-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Sociology of Development
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro Augusto Comin
• Grantee: Guilherme Olimpio Fagundes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This master's research project aims to investigate the social inequalities that affect entrepreneurs in innovation processes. Through a case study of the Nexus program associated with the São José dos Campos Technological Innovation Park (PIT-SJC), I question how the social origins of technology start-up entrepreneurs affect their career paths. The general objective is to show why there are entrepreneurs who are more successful than others in the same innovation system, given the same opportunities provided by the technology park. There are two hypotheses guiding the research. The first points out that the Nexus incubation program is not enough to mitigate the structures of inequality that affect the career paths of entrepreneurs. The second hypothesis is that the notion of "success" that guides the career paths of entrepreneurs varies according to their position in these structures. In order to verify these hypotheses, I will use questionnaire research, in-depth interviews and participant observation in digital and non-digital environments to capture the socio-economic profile of the entrepreneurs, the accounts of their career paths and observe their daily interactions with other entrepreneurs. The material produced will be subjected to bivariate descriptive analysis and Social Network Analysis (SNA). I hope that the case study will contribute to the literature on the economic sociology of organizations and shed light on the innovation processes carried out in Brazil.