This study aims to investigate the evolution of research, development and innovation (R&D&I) projects addressing public health crises, analyzing the institutional and technological dynamics that shape project continuity, coordination and governance.
The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining a literature review, documentary analysis and relational network analysis to identify patterns of interaction among actors, technologies and thematic areas across different stages of R&D&I projects.
The findings indicate that public health crises function less as disruptive events and more as vectors of institutional consolidation. Technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, exhibit a continuous presence throughout project phases. Project governance becomes centralized around a limited number of actors and themes, constraining cognitive diversity and knowledge recombination. In addition, the study identifies a reconfiguration of the state’s role, with universities and hybrid organizations assuming greater operational responsibility.
This study offers an innovative perspective by reframing public health crises as mechanisms of institutional strengthening, integrating network analysis, R&D&I governance and mission-oriented innovation policies, with particular attention to the challenges and specificities of the Global South.
