This paper deals with national systems of innovation (NSIs) from a Latin American perspective. It begins by looking into the related conceptualization elaborated in the North with a "Southern head", stressing some characteristics of the NSIs concept that are helpful to understand Southern specificity: its ex-post nature, the normative weight it carries, its "relational" features, the fact that it describes a purposeful policy subject and not only an outcome of evolutionary patterns. Then the paper describes some contextual differences between Latin America and the developed nations in terms of the NSIs conceptualization. This is followed by an abbreviated account of empirical findings gathered from recent innovation industrial surveys in Latin America. It also briefly describes some of the findings of a methodological attempt to construct a picture of the NSI in a small Latin American country, Uruguay. Finally, some lessons stemming from more mature systems of innovation are outlined.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the prospects of Latin American public universities. Its main assertion is that universities could become important actors of development in Latin America, but prevailing trends point in another direction. The paper focuses on the interactions between, on the one hand, specific traditions and social contexts, and, on the other hand, global trends concerning the role of knowledge and academic changes. The specific traits of the evolution of Higher Education in Latin America are discussed, in order to describe the emergence of an original 'idea of University'. Changes and continuities during the last decades of the 20th century are summarized. Similarities and differences between developed countries and Latin America concerning current trends in Higher Education are analyzed. Particular attention is given to the interactions between what is happening in Latin American universities and the new insertion of the continent in the global economy. A prospective analysis is attempted, focusing on the social commitment of universities.

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Effects representation of transformative innovation policies on the sustainable performance of innovation systemsTransformative innovation policy is a new paradigm developed within the frameworks of science, technology and innovation policy, to address today's social, economic and environmental challenges. Currently, it is beginning to be recognized that this policy could lead innovation systems towards a sustainable performance that favors sustainability transitions. However, specifying possible effects of this type of policy on innovation systems is a complex task, as they face with adaptive complex systems made up of heterogeneous agents that are contingently related and co-evolving over time. These characteristics create the necessity to develop a dynamic and longitudinal analysis, that has been pleased in this thesis with an agent-based model. The proposed Model was validated for the case of specialty coffees in Antioquia, Colombia and it allows to simulate various scenarios of transformative innovation policies. Through the conducted simulations, it can be concluded that a policy focused on supporting the innovation capabilities of agents who are promoting a transition to specialty coffees stimulates a sustainable performance of the innovation system that emerges in the coffee productive chain, allowing a significant change in the practices, routines and ways of innovate of the agents. In addition, it is proved once again that in the Latin American context, the approach to capabilities is crucial for transitions to happen, given the existence of gaps that arises between agents which limit the systemic component of innovation and the change in directionality. Finally, it should not be overlooked that transitions imply profound social and cultural transformations to put pressure for changes in innovation systems.

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