This article uses the Defense Coalition model, proposed by Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith (1993), to analyze the prevalence of Santa Catarina scientific community as a key factor in the development of the Science and Technology Policy (STP) at Santa Catarina state, Brazil. Data collection relied on official reports and documents from the institutions involved in the STP as well as interviews with 10 actors in the creation of the STP process who occupied strategic roles in the period of 1989-2009, categorized as follows: 1) scientific community, 2) bureaucrats; 3) politically chosen ; 4) business owners and 5) politicians. The data analysis relied on the sensitizing concepts used in the defense coalition model a) the role of actors; b) belief system and resources; c) paths of public policy; d) characteristics of the public policy; e) content of the public policy. Connections between actors, their beliefs, strategies, resources and constraints were identified. The research concludes that the scientific community plays a leading role in the formulation of science and technology policy in Santa Catarina, and hold a prevalent role in the creation of the PCT throughout the analyzed period. Regarding business owners, politicians and bureaucrats, the research did not identify a prominent and continuous role of these actors. However, the political chosen ones, who often are recruited within the scientific community, played an important role in reaffirming the shaping of the belief system in the scientific community. Regarding the main trajectories that help explaining the changes of Santa Catarina PCT in the analyzed period, the trajectory "public policy-oriented learning" seems to have an edge over the other trajectories.
scientific and technological policy; defense coalitions; scientific community; Santa Catarina; Brazil; public policy
