Scientific and Technological Institutes in the Global South: What are they and what are they for?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5585/2026.30369

Keywords:

Scientific and Technological Institutes, Global South, innovation ecosystems, technological capabilities, public policies

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the role of Scientific and Technological Institutes (STIs) in the Global South, describing their functions, structures, and linkages with national innovation ecosystems.

Methodology: This study is a theoretical essay based on the analysis and systematization of the literature on STIs in the Global South.

Originality: The article distinguishes STIs from universities based on their missions, organizational structures, and forms of interaction with the productive sector and public policies, and discusses opportunities and challenges related to international cooperation, innovation legal frameworks, and structural constraints.

Main results: STIs are situated within historical processes of scientific and technological development and are analyzed as institutions that produce, adapt, and apply knowledge, connect public and private actors, participate in innovation policies, and contribute to human resource training, technoscientific infrastructure, and research networks.

Theoretical contributions: The study highlights STIs as central components in the organization of innovation ecosystems and in the construction of scientific and technological capabilities in the Global South.

Managerial contributions: Strengthening STIs guides national development strategies and expands the conditions for knowledge production and circulation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Priscila Rezende da Costa, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGA), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

PhD in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo, FEA USP, 2012. Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo, FEA RP USP, 2007. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), 2005. Currently Full Professor at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), working in the Graduate Program in Administration (PPGA), in the academic Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral programs. Coordinator of the ESPM Institute of Science and Technology (ICT ESPM) and of the ESPM Center for Technological Innovation (NIT ESPM).

Camila Naves Arantes, Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial (SENAI), São Paulo, SP, Brasil; Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção (PPGEP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

PhD in Administration from Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), with a sandwich period at Dublin City University. Master’s degree in Technological Innovation from the Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), 2019, currently pursuing an MBA in Management and Digital Transformation, Administration and Business at USP (University of São Paulo). Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Uberaba (UNIUBE), 2015. Currently is a technology consultant at SENAI and a collaborating researcher in the Master’s and Doctoral Program in Production Engineering at UFABC.

Isabel Cristina Scafuto, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Gestão de Projetos (PPGP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

PhD in Administration at Universidade Nove de Julho (2017), with Postdoctoral studies at IPL, Portugal (2023). Master’s degree in Language Sciences at the University of Southern Santa Catarina (2011). Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism – Tourism Management from the University of Southern Santa Catarina (2005). Currently is Coordinator, Professor, and Researcher in the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program in Project Management – PPGP at Universidade Nove de Julho – UNINOVE, holding the position of Director.

Dinah Eluze Sales Leite, Embraer, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brasil; Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGA), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), a Master’s degree and a PhD in Space Engineering and Technology / Space Systems Engineering and Management from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). In 2001, joined Embraer as a Contract Administration Engineer in the international Defense area. Also worked in Competitive Intelligence, Innovation Management, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management, and Program Planning.

Edilane do Amaral Heleno, Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Rio Tinto, Paraíba, Brasil; Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGA), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

PhD in Sociology from the Federal University of Paraíba – UFPB (2013), with a Master’s degree in Labor Economics (2000) and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Sciences (1996) from the same institution. Currently carries out postdoctoral studies in Administration at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing – ESPM. Holds the position of Associate Professor III on the permanent staff of UFPB. Works in the areas of Economics, Sociology, and Management, developing research on regional and local development, labor market, public policies, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

José Jassuipe da Silva Morais, Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Mamanguape, Paraíba, Brasil; Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGA), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

I work in the field of public policies, management, and evaluation of education, exercising academic leadership in the coordination and management of stricto sensu graduate programs in education and public policies, with a research focus on the financing and internationalization of higher education; I self-declare as brown. I am Vice-Coordinator of Graduate Studies of the Graduate Program in Public Policies, Management, and Evaluation of Education (PPGAVE/UFPB), working directly in academic planning, institutional evaluation, and in the consolidation of the Program’s scientific agenda.

References

Adams J. Collaborations: The fourth age of research. Nature. 2013 May 30;497(7451):557-60. https://doi.org/10.1038/497557a. PMID: 23719446.

Altbach, P. G. (2016). Global perspectives on higher education (p. 303). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-1-4214-1926-8.

Ambos, B., Brandl, K., Perri, A., Scalera, V. G., & Van Assche, A. (2021). The nature of innovation in global value chains. Journal of World Business, 56(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2021.101221

Andreoni, A., & Tregenna, F. (2020). Escaping the middle-income technology trap: A comparative analysis of industrial policies in China, Brazil and South Africa. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 54, 324-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2020.05.008

Angelous Kotey, R., & Yindenaba Abor, J. (2019). The role of technology as an absorptive capacity in economic growth in emerging economies: A new approach. The European Journal of Applied Economics, 16(2), 59-78. https://doi.org/10.5937/EJAE16-20133

Arocena, R., & Sutz, J. (2000). Looking at national systems of innovation from the South. Industry and innovation, 7(1), 55-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662710050030303

Asheim, B. T. (2019). Smart specialisation, innovation policy and regional innovation systems: what about new path development in less innovative regions?. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 32(1), 8-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2018.1491001

Bell, M., & Pavitt, K. (1993). Technological accumulation and industrial growth: contrasts between developed and developing countries. Industrial and corporate change, 2(2), 157-210. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/2.2.157

Belli, S., & Nenoff, J. M. (2022). Cooperation in science and innovation between Latin America and the European Union. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(2), 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8020094

Bianchi, C., Galaso, P., & Palomeque, S. (2021). Patent collaboration networks in Latin America: Extra-regional orientation and core-periphery structure. Journal of scientometric research, 10(1s), s59-70. https://doi.org/10.5530/JSCIRES.10.1S.22

Brasil. (2004). Lei nº 10.973, de 2 de dezembro de 2004. Dispõe sobre incentivos à inovação e à pesquisa científica e tecnológica no ambiente produtivo. http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2004-2006/2004/lei/l10.973.htm

Bresser-Pereira, L. C., Jabbour, E., & Paula, L. F. D. (2020). South Korea’s and China’s catching-up: a new-developmentalist analysis. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, 40(2), 264-284. https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-31572020-3102

Bugge, M. M., Berg, R., & Tømte, C. E. (2024). Transformative innovation policies detached from existing systems of innovation in the global south. Innovation and Development, 14(3), 563-586. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2023.2215628

Cassiolato, J. E., & Lastres, H. M. M. (2005). Sistemas de inovação e desenvolvimento: as implicações de política. São Paulo em perspectiva, 19, 34-45. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-88392005000100003

Chataway, J., Hanlin, R., & Kaplinsky, R. (2014). Inclusive innovation: an architecture for policy development. Innovation and Development, 4(1), 33-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2013.876800

Chiarini, T., Rapini, M. S., & Silva, L. A. (2017). Access to knowledge and catch-up: Exploring some intellectual property rights data from Brazil and South Korea. Science and Public Policy, 44(1), 95-110. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scw034

Chrysostome, E. (2019). Capacity Building in Developing and Emerging Countries: From Mindset Transformation to Promoting Entrepreneurship and Diaspora Involvement. Contributions to management science. ISBN 978-3-030-16739-4 ISBN 978-3-030-16740-0 (eBook). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16740-0

Cimoli, M., Dosi, G., & Stiglitz, J. E. (2009). Industrial policy and development: The political economy of capabilities accumulation. New York: Oxford, 113-137. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199235261.001.0001

Confraria, H., & Vargas, F. (2019). Scientific systems in Latin America: performance, networks, and collaborations with industry. The journal of technology transfer, 44(3), 874-915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-017-9631-7

De Marchi, Valentina & Giuliani, Elisa & Rabellotti, Roberta. (2015). Local innovation and global value chains in developing countries. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3619.9126

De Marchi, V., Giuliani, E., & Rabellotti, R. (2018). Do global value chains offer developing countries learning and innovation opportunities? The European Journal of Development Research, 30(3), 389-407. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-017-0126-z

Dias, A. A., & Porto, G. S. (2018). Technology transfer management in the context of a developing country: evidence from Brazilian universities. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 16(4), 525-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2018.1514288

Didou Aupetit, S. (2020). Return Scientific Mobility and the Internationalization of Research Capacities in Latin America. In: Schwartzman, S. (eds) Higher Education in Latin America and the Challenges of the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44263-7_7

Dubickis, M., & Gaile-Sarkane, E. (2021). Factors influencing technology transfer in companies at emerging economies. Science, Technology and Society, 26(2), 242-271. https://doi.org/10.1177/09717218211005615

Dutrénit, G. (2004). Building technological capabilities in latecomer firms: a review essay. Science, Technology and Society, 9(2), 209-241. https://doi.org/10.1177/097172180400900202

Echeverría King, L. F., González, D. A., & Andrade-Sastoque, E. (2021). Science diplomacy in emerging economies: a phenomenological analysis of the colombian case. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 6, 636538. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2021.636538

Echeverría-King, L. F., Fossati, A., Raja, N. B., Bonilla, K., Urbani, B., Whiffen, R. K., & Vizinová, T. (2023). Scientific collaborations between Latin America and Europe: an approach from science diplomacy towards international engagement. Science and Public Policy, 50(4), 794-806. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scad025

Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (2000). The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations. Research policy, 29(2), 109-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-7333(99)00055-4

Fadeyi, O., Maresova, P., Stemberkova, R., Afolayan, M., & Adeoye, F. (2019). Perspectives of University-Industry technology transfer in African emerging economies: evaluating the Nigerian scenario via a data envelopment approach. Social sciences, 8(10), 286. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8100286

Fealing, K. H., Lane, J., Marburger III, J. H. & Shipp, S. S. (2011). The science of science policy: a handbook. Stanford University Press. Ebook ISBN: 9780804781602. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780804781602

Head, B. W. (2016). Toward more “evidence‐informed” policy making?. Public administration review, 76(3), 472-484. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12475

Herman, K. S. (2023). Green growth and innovation in the Global South: a systematic literature review. Innovation and Development, 13(1), 43-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/2157930X.2021.1909821

Kattel, R., & Mazzucato, M. (2025). Mission-oriented innovation policies in Europe: from the normative to the epistemic turn?. In Transformative Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies (pp. 78-97). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803929521.00012

Katz, J. M. (Ed.). (1987). Technology generation in Latin American manufacturing industries. Springer. ISBN: 978-1-349-07210-1. https://doi.org/10. 129-132. 10.18800/economia.198702.005

Lall, S. (1992). Technological capabilities and industrialization. World development, 20(2), 165-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(92)90097-F

Marginson, S. (2022). What drives global science? The four competing narratives. Studies in higher education, 47(8), 1566-1584. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1942822

Nery, M. B. M. (2018). Science without borders’ contributions to internationalization of Brazilian higher education. Journal of studies in international education, 22(5), 371-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315317748526

Rapini, M. S., da Motta e Albuquerque, E., Chave, C. V., Silva, L. A., Antunes de Souza, S. G., Righi, H. M., & Silva da Cruz, W. M. (2009). University—industry interactions in an immature system of innovation: Evidence from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Science and Public Policy, 36(5), 373-386. https://doi.org/10.3152/030234209X442016

Rapini, M., et al. (2020). University–industry interactions and the role of public research institutes in Brazil. Science and Public Policy, 47(5), 646–658.

Roy, I. (2024). Understanding technology transfer effectiveness in emerging economies: policy lessons for India. Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-08-2023-0125

Schedelik, M., May, C., & Nölke, A. (2025). Innovation Policy in the Global South. In Handbook of Innovation: Perspectives from the Social Sciences (pp. 1-14). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25143-6_31-1

Švarc, J., & Dabić, M. (2021). Transformative innovation policy or how to escape peripheral policy paradox in European research peripheral countries. Technology in society, 67, https://doi.org/101705. 10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101705

UNCTAD. (2024). Science, technology and innovation report. United Nations.

Van Aswegen, M., & Retief, F. P. (2020). The role of innovation and knowledge networks as a policy mechanism towards more resilient peripheral regions. Land Use Policy, 90, 104259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104259

van Schalkwyk, F. (2024). The scientific periphery and new flows of knowledge: the case of regional preprint servers. Online Information Review, 48(6), 1088-1102. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2023-0153

Velez-Calle, A., Sanchez-Henriquez, F., Moore, E. M., & Pacheco, L. M. (2025). Innovative collaboration among developing countries: The role of national innovation systems in Latin America. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 20(11), 4519-4542. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-12-2022-1822

Wagner, C. S., & Leydesdorff, L. (2005). Network structure, self-organization, and the growth of international collaboration in science. Research policy, 34(10), 1608-1618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.08.002

Wu, H., Xiong, J., Li, Q., & Wei, T. (2018). Comparisons of catching-up among developed nations and developing countries. Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research, 5(2), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v5i2.206

Downloads

Published

27.02.2026

How to Cite

Costa, P. R. da, Arantes, C. N., Scafuto, I. C., Leite, D. E. S., Heleno, E. do A., & Morais, J. J. da S. (2026). Scientific and Technological Institutes in the Global South: What are they and what are they for?. International Journal of Innovation, 14(1), e30369. https://doi.org/10.5585/2026.30369

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): Jan./Apr.

Section

Editorial comment

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Priscila Rezende da Costa, Camila Naves Arantes, Isabel Cristina Scafuto, Dinah Eluze Sales Leite, Edilane do Amaral Heleno, José Jassuipe da Silva Morais

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Views
  • Abstract 116
  • pdf 20
  • pdf (Español (España)) 3
  • pdf (Português (Brasil)) 2

Funding data