In this paper, presented at the 8th European IFSA Symposium ( Workshop 6: "Change in knowledge systems and extension services: Role of the new actors") in 2008, the authors discuss a conceptual framework that understands innovation processes as the outcome of collaborative networks where information is exchanged and learning processes happen. They argue that technical and economic factors used to analyse drivers and barriers alone are not sufficient to understand innovation processes.
This report presents the main results of the EU-funded IN-SIGHT project ‘Strengthening Innovation Processes for Growth and Development’. The authors sketched out a conceptual framework and knowledge base for a more effective European policy on innovation in agriculture and rural areas. Both conceptual framework and knowledge base are consistent with the new European agenda for agricultural and rural policy and sensitive to the diversity of the European agricultural and rural systems.
La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo caracterizar los esquemas de innovación tecnológica y su transferencia en las agroempresas frutícolas del estado de Michoacán; para ello se mapeó una red de 137 nodos del sistema–producto guayaba de la región oriente de la entidad. Con el software Keyplayer 2, se calcularon los tres actores clave difusores y estructuradores, y con NetDraw se determinaron los actores conformantes de la red primaria, ello hizo un total de 33 nodos entrevistados. De éstos, se seleccionaron tres actores para efectuar el estudio de caso.
En 2011, el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, el Consejo Mexiquense de Ciencia y Tecnología y el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología financiaron un programa para impulsar redes de colaboración tecnológica en sectores económicos prioritarios del Estado de México e integrar un sistema local de innovación. En este trabajo se analiza dicho programa, se describe la capacidad de innovación del Estado, su marco institucional y los principales actores.
In the SALSA project, transdisciplinarity means a process of integration of knowledge between researchers belonging to different disciplines (in our case, sociology, economics, anthropology, geography) and with non-academic actors such as NGOs members, innovation brokers, policy makers). The role of transdisciplinary theory building within SALSA is to link diverse areas of knowledge through a co-constructed conceptual framework in order to underpin effective action towards improved FNS.