Ambiente institucional e inovação na siderurgia de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Technological innovation is gaining importance in the midst of economic theory. This trend is increasing ground even in regard to the theories of regional development, highlighting the role of local aspects in promoting innovation. In this sense, important theoretical contributions began to portray the role of the Regional Innovation Systems in the process of local technological development. Based on these guidelines, this work presents the role of a specific regional innovation system, the mineral-metallurgical of Minas Gerais, in fostering to the innovative activity of the local steel industry, which stands on the national scene by its technological potential. Are presented, then, the agents who contribute to the rise of technological innovations in the steel industry in Minas Gerais, emphasizing their role in this process, highlighting the pioneering of the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto and the actions of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. In this analysis, it was found that the institutional arrangement that supports innovation in the steel industry in Minas Gerais acts providing, to the companies, personnel with high professional qualifications and in assistance to the technological sector sustaining, so , an intense flow of information between institutions, in most cases between the university, and businesses. It was possible to perceive that the institutional arrangement that supports this specific regional innovation system is of vital importance for the development of steel industry in the state and for its success in terms of competitiveness by ensuring a strategic position for the state of Minas Gerais in the international steel market.