Innovation models and interdisciplinarity in science, technology and innovation policy in Costa Rica
Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management
ISSN: 2053-4620
Article publication date: 17 January 2022
Issue publication date: 2 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse innovation models and interdisciplinarity in science, technology and innovation (STI) policy in Costa Rica between 2015 and 2021. The core focus is to evaluate the public policy in light of the groundwork that sustains the designed and proposed actions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors applied a qualitative approach to build a set of dimensions and conducted content-analysis of selected documents. The analysis encompasses all current STI public policy documents in Costa Rica, including the planning instruments of the Central Government and the National Policy on STI.
Findings
The main findings show that STI policy in Costa Rica is based on different innovation models, but the projects and instruments themselves show the predominance of the reductionist model. Innovation receives a residual role. In turn, interdisciplinarity is based on the concept of convergence, which limits disciplinary collaboration to the natural, physical and engineering sciences, minimising contributions from other fields of knowledge to an instrumental role in innovation processes.
Practical implications
The authors conclude that the interlinkage between open innovation models, the participation of diverse societal actors and the inclusion of an interdisciplinary perspective leads to inclusive and more democratic public policy, allowing more sectors and organisations to benefit from innovation processes. This would imply a greater reach and impact of the policy, conditions that translate into innovation achievements and a better return on public investment.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to current discussions on STI policy by studying the implications of the link among policies, innovation models and interdisciplinarity.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This article is framed in the project entitled “Planificación y Socialización de la innovación: Un estudio de las políticas y las actividades orientadas a fomentar la innovación” (code: 0537-18), funded by the “Fondo Institucional de Desarrollo Académico” (FIDA), Universidad Nacional (Costa Rica), period 2020-2022.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from Dr Jeffrey Orozco Barrantes (Centro Internacional de Política Económica para el Desarrollo Sostenible, CINPE – Costa Rica) and MSc Claudio Monge Hernández (Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica) for their comments, time and generosity to discuss these topics with us.
Citation
Soto Kiewit, L.D. and Vienni Baptista, B. (2023), "Innovation models and interdisciplinarity in science, technology and innovation policy in Costa Rica", Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 419-439. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTPM-02-2021-0030
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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