Casarão Tech Renato Archer - A public innovation hub – Connected with SDG 3, 4 and 17
Description
It is a mansion located in the historic area of São Luís renewed and equipped with seventeen environments (multipurpose rooms and laboratories), to held innovation activities in the State, especially those of the Inova Maranhão program, sponsored by the state government. <br />
“Casarão” is open to the public, and has free Wi-Fi, a coworking space, kids lab, maker lab, startups rooms, a meeting room, a Mandarin classroom, an auditorium, among others.
To foster an environment that encourages innovation within Maranhão companies, the creation of new technology-based companies in the State, the innovation mindset in public administration, the emergence of the state technology park in the historical center of São Luís, the development of a society focused on innovation.<br />
Among the actions carried out within the framework of Casarão, it is worth mentioning: <br />
(a) Marathons and hackathons, which are activities with children, university students and professionals that aim to stimulate creativity focused on the development of innovative product or service solutions, also stimulating the emergence of new companies. It should also be mentioned the acceleration of startups by mentoring, training and providing them free office infrastructure. In parallel to these activities, agile methodologies of management are also worked, as well as the entrepreneurship mindset of the participants.<br />
In that state startups development program, workshops, lectures and meetups are open to the public, in order to disseminate technical and entrepreneurial skills among people.<br />
The main challenges are: (i) innovation ecosystem with few technology-based companies; (ii) low index of new products and services for the market; (iii) low social impact of products and services generated within the state.<br />
Difficulties overcome: (i) social context unfavorable to innovation, for example, culture of non-emerged entrepreneurship; (ii) economic context unfavorable to innovation, for example, short investments history of innovation in the state.<br />
The SDG related to these activities is 4.4.<br />
(b) Internet of Things usage and development workshops, open to the community.<br />
Regarding the partnerships and integrations of the program, the State counts on the support given by SOFTEX, OSCIP with a role in the international innovation ecosystem, which is an important point of connection with people and institutions out of Maranhão.<br />
The main challenges are: (i) innovation ecosystem with few technology-based companies; (ii) low index of new products and services for the market; (iii) low social impact of products and services generated within the state.<br />
Difficulties overcome: (i) social context unfavorable to innovation, for example, culture of non-emerged entrepreneurship; (ii) economic context unfavorable to innovation, for example, short investments history of innovation in the state.<br />
The ODS related to these activities is 17.7.<br />
(c) Design Thinking applied to the development of technological solutions for the management of information about pregnant women and newborns in the State.<br />
It is a methodology used by startups and popularized in other areas, such as government.<br />
It consists of developing solutions built from an ethnographic research of the target human being / user of the solution.<br />
Challenges encountered: high infant mortality rate and low level of information management about pregnant women in the state.<br />
The difficulty of communication between all the actors involved in the process was overcome, as well as a solution built from the user, which is the main focus of this management system.<br />
The ODS related to these activities is 3.1.
(a) and (b) The methodology used for Maratoninha, Hackaton, promotion of startups and IOT workshops was:
- target the audience to be reached;
- specific objectives to be achieved with the target public;
- methodology of the event based on the specific objectives to be achieved with the target public
- execution of the event;
- monitoring results, both of the products and services created, as the mindset changing of the target audience
- Keeping up the work with the interested target audience and partners.
(c) The methodology used for Design Thinking
- delimitation of the problem and selection of the players of the innovation process;
- interview and observation of the players;
- detailed analysis of the user's journey;
- offering a DT workshop in order to diverge and converge in the process of delimiting the problem and drawing up proposals to combat it;
- Compilation of definitions built together;
- Elaboration of Functional Minimum Viable Products that test the propositions established with the users.
- Technological improvement of the solutions developed and validated around this system user.
- 17 citizens groups of Maranhão had access to mentoring for the development of their business, through which they were able to learn and exercise entrepreneurship.
- 17 formalized startups
- 1 public innovation hub, Casarão Tech Renato Archer, with Internet access and free spaces and facilities
- The average use of the coworking space of the Innovation Hub is 10 people per day
- The events of innovation in the first year of the Casarão Tech reached the number 71
- Casarão hosted 120 meetings focused on innovation in the State
- 45 follow-up events and mentoring of startups
- Casarão received more than 10,000 people in the year 2018
- High transformer impact on the people who tune the program.
- High community engagement.
- The multiplier effect of sharing intangible goods: knowledge.
(b) Constraints:
- Small staff.
- Staff technical quality.
(c) Improvement points:
- The process of capturing and selecting the target audience so we can attract more entrepreneurs with the most accurate technical and scientific knowledge and with the most intense entrepreneurial mindset, in order to increase the rate of formalized and a successful product or service.
- Integration of the program with the Universities.
- Extension of the program to the interior of the State.
Actions are replicable and scalable, but more financial resources would be required.
The Government's initiative to allocate Casarão's infrastructure for innovation represents a clear intention to foster an environment that encourages innovation within Maranhão companies, the creation of new technology-based companies in the State, innovation in public administration, the emergence of the state technological park, in the historical center of São Luís, to the development of a mindset of the Maranhão society focused on innovation.<br />
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The actions carried out at Casarão Tech Renato Archer already indicate a series of benefits for the state innovation community. New entrepreneurs have become multipliers of knowledge about entrepreneurship. That means a real impact on the mindset of Maranhão citizens.<br />
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With the activities involving children and adolescents, such as Maratoninhas, Hackatons and IOT workshops, in addition to changing the entrepreneurial mindset of the new citizens, their vision is opened regarding new technologies and the feasibility of their use. This is a true democratization of the use of technology.<br />
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In the same direction, with the application of Design Thinking to the public administration, more than a social impact in the reduction of infant mortality, the activity presents intangible results as the change of mindset of public administrators and health agents involved in politics, physicians, nurses, community health agents, and municipal and state managers.
http://www.ma.gov.br/agenciadenoticias/educacao/casarao-tech-comemora-1…
https://jornalpequeno.com.br/2018/12/19/inova-maranhao-promove-demo-day…
http://www.ma.gov.br/agenciadenoticias/educacao/com-financiamento-do-go…
http://www.ma.gov.br/agenciadenoticias/multimidia/videos/casarao-tech-r…
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- Latin America and the Caribbean
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Contact Information
Leandro Franco, Superintendent of Policies of Innovation and Digital Citizenship