Sustainability, social technologies and university extension: a look at the incubation of solidarity economy enterprises in Brazil

Abstract

This article is a contribution to the debate on the purpose and scope of university extension for economic development in “developing economies”, in the face of the challenges of the double crisis of our historical time: the structural crisis of the capitalist economy and the environmental and climate crisis. By approaching the crisis from the concept of sustainability, the article explores the theoretical approximation between the notions of ecological economics and solidarity economy, as well as the phenomena they study, presenting them like sustainable alternatives to the current development model. The roles that research, innovation and university extension play – and could play – in this context are analyzed in a critical and proactive view, establishing ethical-political definitions as guides for scientific-technological decisions in this process. Finally, as concrete examples related to these formulations, the article presents the trajectory of the University Network of Technological Incubators of Popular Cooperatives, in Brazil.