Title: Itaipu Technological Park (ITP) socio-technical transition to sustainability

Authors: Andriele De Pra Carvalho; Aline Dario Silveira; Sieglinde Kindl Da Cunha; Fabiana Regina Veloso

Addresses: Humanities Departament, UTFPR – Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Santa Bárbara Street, 85.601-000, Francisco Beltrão – PR, Brazil ' Management Departament, UNIOESTE – Universidade do Oeste do Paraná, Universitária Street, 85.819-170, Cascavel – PR, Brazil ' Management Departament, UP – Universidade Positivo, Prof. Pedro Viriato de Souza Street, 530, 81.280-330, Curitiba – PR, Brazil ' Executive Secretariat Departament, UNIOESTE – Universidade do Oeste do Paraná, Faculdade Street, 85.903-000, Toledo – PR, Brazil

Abstract: Environmental problems arising with uncontrolled growth increased the interest in studies that combine innovation and sustainability. In this sense, eco-innovation is an approach that contributes to the understanding of the relation between society, economy and the environment. Technology parks are considered innovative environments for the new technologies development, which can be explained by the socio-technical transition theory. Thus, the objective of this paper was to analyse the transition from the eco-innovative niche to an eco-innovative regime at the Itaipu Technological Park (ITP), by basing on a socio-technical approach to understand the different co-evolution influences on the social and technical environment. We were able to show that the ITP, with their sponsor support, Itaipu Binacional, created an eco-innovation favourable environment. The infrastructure of its facilities and labs, in addition to its eco-innovative culture turned ITP into an open environment to the development of eco-innovations.

Keywords: multi-level analysis; socio-technical transition; eco-innovation; ITP; Itaipu Technological Park; sustainable innovation; sustainability; technologic Park; socio-technical innovation; Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2021.114332

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2021 Vol.15 No.2, pp.169 - 193

Received: 17 Aug 2018
Accepted: 23 Sep 2019
Published online: 19 Apr 2021 *

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