As inovações nos territórios e o papel das universidades: notas preliminares para o desenvolvimento territorial no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul

Through the prism of the economic geography this paper examines some of the theoretical bases of studies about science, technology and technological innovations for the economic and social development of regions and countries. It highlights the roles of higher education institutions – teaching, research and community service – for the territorial and technological development. Focusing the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), we use a piece of information of the Technological Innovation Survey – Pintec (IBGE/Finep/MCT) referring to the relations between higher education institutions and firms in innovation activities observed in the period 1998-2005, more specifically, sources of information and co-operation. Finally, the paper concludes by relating these findings about universities, firms, territories and its relationships, to ongoing debates around development and innovation