Análisis de redes sociales de un clúster en tecnologías emergentes: el caso del Clúster de Nanotecnología de Nuevo León, 2009-2019

Abstract

The formation of clusters for the creation of science, technology and innovation (STI) is a social phenomenon, since it implies the formation of collaborative relationships between different organizations, as well as their location in a specific geographical area, with the express purpose of generating STI. Therefore, using Social Networks Analysis (SRA) allows for the study of this phenomenon in relational terms, through the analysis of patterns of exchange and organization. This study uses the ARS approach to analyze the Nuevo León Nanotechnology Cluster (NLNC), from the year 2009 to 2019, and its role in the state’s nanotechnology production network, both of which originated in the midst of a regional integration effort using the Triple Helix model. It was concluded that the laboratories of the universities and research centers that belong to the NLNC have the highest centrality measures of the network, so they structure it and connect the other actors, despite being a minority against the industrial sector. Likewise, only a small part of the formal links made to produce nanotechnology are translated into commercialization links or patents. These are mostly produced by universities and research centers, and not by businesses. This seems to indicate that the production of nanotechnology in Nuevo León remains mostly in the laboratories, and is not necessarily applied or commercialized.