Networks, Alliances and Social Capital in Innovation Processes: The Cases of Biotechnology from Puebla and Bologna

This study aims to describe different research group cases, focused on biotechnology, both in Puebla (Mexico) and Bologna (Puebla). In both places, such discipline is a relatively new field of study with networks of researchers from the 1990’s. Even though biotechnology originated and developed in American universities during the 1950’s, countries such as Mexico or Italy have incorporated it in the academy and the industry following peculiar paths. By means of these cases, it has been possible to analyze biotechnology evolution in different contexts, as well as the conditions which have facilitated or limited its development. Both in Puebla and Bologna, agro-food biotechnology is at the same level: with no start-up projects, or patent licenses but with other non-documented collaborative university-industry efforts (consultancy, collaborative research, human resources professionalization and knowledge dissemination). Such less evident collaborative types are the sources of technological innovation common to the majority of the universities. The combination of these sources represents the advanced forms of collaboration expected by the public policy aimed to the innovation and socioeconomic development (spin-offs and patent licenses). Furthermore, in both contexts, there are cases involving social capital and the dissemination of knowledge such as drivers, essential for the technology transfer. We have documented different innovation processes that imply the consolidation of alliances, achieved by the effort of researchers, which also evidence the growing institutionalization of technological research in both places; with an important perspective of greater university-industry collaboration.