Abstract
The article deals with the opportunities and challenges related to the construction of a Regional Innovation System in Greater ABC, a subset of seven municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. Starting with a characterization of the fundamental features of the region, its recent history and economic data, the effort of the first fifteen years of the 21st century to carry out the aforementioned construction are revisited. Based on the elements collected in a statistical, documentary research and through interviews, the strengths and weaknesses of the process are identified. It concludes with a list of suggestions for revitalizing that effort, under new guidelines and a new governance arrangement of the institution responsible for strengthening the regional economy - the Economic Development Agency of Greater ABC.
regional innovation system; Greater ABC Region; regional economic development; regional economic innovation, modernization and diversification; Economic Development Agency of Greater ABC