There is in Minas Gerais (Brazil) an institutional apparatus to support innovation processes, especially in the local steel industry - one of the most important economic activities in the state. This regional innovation system, established in the 19th century, is characterized by an intense information flow between the university system and the industry. The partnership involving universities and firms is based on professional qualification and the joint search for new products and processes. We observed that the historically constituted university-firm interaction fosters technological innovation in the Minas Gerais steel industry.
regional innovation systems; university-industry interaction; steel industry; Minas Gerais
