Scientific research and technological innovation: The Brazilian approach to biotechnology

The objective of this study is to reflect on the institutionalization of biotechnology in Brazil, relating it to the historical and institutional context marked by the national science and technology policy implemented since the 1970s. We focus on the configuration of biotechnology at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) to exemplify developing countries' difficulty in disseminating an innovation model based on networks originally established in developed countries. The research shows that the lag between scientific capability and technological development at FIOCRUZ resulted from the institutional dynamic related to its process of reconstruction beginning in 1975, governed by both S&T policy and health policy for the production of immunobiological products in the country during that period.