The Role of a Local Industry Association as a Catalyst for Building an Innovation Ecosystem: An Experiment in the State of Ceara in Brazil

摘要

We show that an industrial association can play the role of a catalyst for changernwhere government intervention does not provide a sufficient response to marketrnfailure in the development of innovation activities, especially in less developedrnregions. This experimental study was conducted in the State of Ceara in Brazil byrnthe UNIEMPRE program of the federation of industries (FIEC). The findings showrnthe positive influence of the local association of industries as a catalyst for therninnovation process, acting through five main channels: increasing the awareness ofrnall actors, providing information and knowledge, assisting firms in developing theirrninnovation capabilities, developing the milieu’s innovation capabilities, andrnestablishing long-term sustainability of the process.