USED TERRITORY AND PATENT PRODUCTION IN THE NORTHEAST REGION OF BRAZIL: THE RELEVANCE OF EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
Used territory, Territorial Innovation System (TIS), intellectual property patents, Technological innovation, Spatial inequalities
The technical-scientific-informational environment has been shaped by the efforts of countries to stand out in the field of Science, Technology, and Innovation, with patent grants emerging as a means to ensure the commercial exploitation of their creations. In Brazil’s Northeast Region, this process is marked by significant territorial implications and the persistence of socio-spatial inequalities. This dissertation aims to understand how higher education and research institutions in the Northeast use the territory to foster technological innovation, taking patent production from 1990 to 2023 as its reference. Grounded in Milton Santos’ theory of geographic space and the concept of the Territorial Innovation System, the research proposes the hypothesis that a STI exists in the region, in which public institutions are the main actors. These institutions function not only as geographic fixities and technical objects that generate knowledge flows but also as key players in forming strategic partnerships that enhance regional innovation capacity. However, this system reflects a dialectical dynamic between technological advancement and the persistence of inequalities. The methodological procedures are structured into five stages: bibliographic and documentary review; collection of secondary data from governmental and institutional sources; analysis of innovation policies and regulatory documents; collection of primary data through fieldwork, questionnaires, and interviews; and the production of visual materials such as maps and graphs. The findings reveal a selective use of the Northeastern territory, with patenting activities concentrated in public universities located in cities with a denser innovation technosphere. Despite existing inequalities, the STI nordestino demonstrates relevant outcomes, expressed in patent grants, the contributions of local researchers, and the formation of cooperative networks.