O PAPEL DAS INSTITUIÇÕES NO SUPORTE A INDIVÍDUOS NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DE INOVAÇÕES:

The development of technological innovations involves complex social phenomena resulting from the interaction of individuals within innovation ecosystems. Consequently, a thorough analysis of how these individuals interact and frame their activities within these settings is essential. This article examines the contribution of individuals, situated within multiple institutional levels, to the development of new technologies and their own careers in an academic innovation ecosystem. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, this study analyzed the roles played by individuals in the development of 93 patents within a medical academic unit in Brazil. The findings of this study propose a framework based on four institutional levels that enable the development of new technologies: the individual level, team level, organizational level, and interorganizational level. Within these levels, twenty-one sub-categories are identified. Specifically, at the individual level, six types of individual roles were identified. At the team level, three patterns of knowledge sharing, three intertemporal patterns of knowledge transfer, and five types of team configurations were identified. At the organizational and interorganizational level, four types of arrangements were observed. The main theoretical contribution of this article lies in demonstrating how the institutional structure acts as a supporting mechanism for individuals' actions in creating new technologies and advancing their professional careers. In practical terms, the various constructs identified can be utilized to evaluate the institutional development of academic innovation ecosystems and inform the formulation of policies aimed at fostering their growth.