Innovation and Technology Management: A Major Pending Issue for the Development of Latin America and the Caribbean—Some Ideas for Research

Cristian Geldes; Mauricio Castillo-Vergara

doi:10.4067/s0718-27242025000300003

Authors

Cristian Geldes Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad Alberto Hurtado https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-1854
Mauricio Castillo-Vergara Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad Alberto Hurtado https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3368-6497

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-27242025000300003

Keywords:

innovation, technology management, Nobel Prize, Global Innovation Index, , Latin America and the Caribbean, research agenda

Abstract

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences emphasizes the importance of innovation and technology management for a country's economic growth. However, Latin America and the Caribbean show low and uneven levels of innovation based on the Global Innovation Index (GII). Innovation and technological development can help address the region's major challenges, such as sustainable development, climate change, and the integration of new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics. This situation prompts us to propose research ideas to develop policies and programs that boost innovation in this region.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Cristian Geldes, Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad Alberto Hurtado

Cristian Geldes is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universidad Alberto Hurtado. He holds a Phd and a Master in Management from Universidad Adolfo Ibañez (AACSB). His research interests are in strategy, innovation, and sustainability. He has published in journals such as Technovation, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

References

Alatrista, A. (2022). Regional Innovation Policy in Latin America: Exploratory Analysis. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 17(3), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242022000300025

Castillo-Vergara M, Duarte Valdivia D, Muñoz-Cisterna V, Álvarez-Marín A, Geldes C, Ortiz-Henriquez RE (2025), "Digital capabilities of SMEs: driving the Industry 4.0 revolution and measuring its innovative effects". Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion, Vol. 38 No. 1 pp. 74–105, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ARLA-08-2023-0137

Díaz-Pérez, C. del C., & Arechavala-Vargas, R. (2008). Organizational Learning in Research and Development Centers in Developing Economies: The Influence of Institutional Contexts. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 2(4), 98–108. Retrieved from https://www.jotmi.org/index.php/GT/article/view/art67

Ferrer, E. (2009). ICT Policy and Perspectives of Human Development in Latin America: the Peruvian Experience. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 4(4), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242009000400014

Heredia, Jorge, Flores, Alejandro, Geldes, Cristian, & Heredia, Walter. (2017). Effects of informal competition on innovation performance: the case of Pacific Alliance. Journal of technology management & innovation, 12(4), 22-28. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242017000400003

Heredia, J., Castillo-Vergara, M., Geldes, C., Gamarra, F. M. C., Flores, A., & Heredia, W. (2022). How do digital capabilities affect firm performance? The mediating role of technological capabilities in the “new normal”. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 7(2), 100171.

Mikhailov, A., Faccin, K., Wegner, D., & Thomas, E. (2024). The Micro-Governance of Collaborative Networks: Promoting Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 19(4), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-27242024000400064

Pérez, J. A. H., Geldes, C., Kunc, M. H., & Flores, A. (2019). New approach to the innovation process in emerging economies: The manufacturing sector case in Chile and Peru. Technovation, 79, 35-55.

Tamayo-Galarza, G., Ortiz-Henríquez, R., Vallejos-Rojas, B., & Rueda-Fierro, I. (2025). Beyond Financing Innovation: The Rise of Non-Financial Barriers to Innovation in Emerging Economies, Evidence from Chilean Companies from 2007 to 2016. Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, 20(3). Retrieved from https://www.jotmi.org/index.php/GT/article/view/4724

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (2024).Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads. Geneva: WIPO.DOI: 10.34667/tind.58864