Inovação social e desenvolvimento sustentável: um estudo de caso da Universidade Estadual De Ponta Grossa no Paraná

Abstract

The term “innovation” became popular in the areas of Economics, Engineering and Administration, in research on economic development and the market. Over the years, the term has gained new layers and definitions, such as technological, managerial, marketing and social innovation, and each of them aims for different changes in reality. Social innovation, the focus of this study, regardless of market logic, seeks to socially innovate and seeks changes to improve society's well-being and also considers nuances of sustainability. The concept is in dispute and constantly growing, which leads us to the need to understand it across various fields, such as universities that work directly with the population. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation is to analyze the experiences of Social Innovation at the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG) and its approach to society and the logic of sustainable development. This is a qualitative study that was based on the Case Study methodology, which includes a series of procedures, such as bibliographical, documentary and field research, using semi-structured interviews. We chose to use narrative analysis to tabulate, organize and reflect on the data obtained. As results, it is highlighted that the institution has many experiences that innovate socially, such as those developed by the UEPG Innovation and Intellectual Property Agency - AGIPI, in the incubation of startups, which are in line with sustainability and which promote actions and develop products who value the well-being of the population, resulting in solutions to social problems. Just as social innovation is also present in the scope of legislation and university extension, through projects and programs that seek, through popular knowledge and learning, to act on the front line of social inequalities that reach the university space and directly impact people. around you. However, despite the advances, it is necessary to expand the criticism surrounding the issue, so that we can move forward and appropriate the concept of social innovation and sustainable development, in addition to aiming for a change in the logic of capitalist dominance, valuing a transformation of a more social, sustained and sustainable.