INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS CONNECTION: CONNECTION MODEL BETWEEN THE ACTORS OF AN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

This article aimed to present a connection model for the actors of an Innovation Ecosystem. To build the model, we sought to analyze innovation environments to observe the connection between the actors in Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, because according to data from the FIEC index (2020), the three states then among the first five in the Brazil in terms of innovation. In addition, a pilot case was carried out in the State of Sergipe, a state with a modest level of innovation according to the index, occupying the seventeenth position, while it is the smallest state in territorial extension in Brazil, which could facilitate the connection of the actors of the innovation ecosystem. Methodologically, this study is of a qualitative nature, based on the case study method with non-probabilistic sampling by quotas. As sources of evidence, 30 cities were visited, 72 semi-structured interviews were carried out, non-participant observation of 147 innovation environments, document analysis, registration in files and physical artifacts. As a research technique, content analysis was used with the aid of the Nvivo 12 software.