Technology transfer, productive restructuring, and reindustrialization processes. Experience of the Mexican Bajio region

This research identifies the facilitators and inhibitors for the transfer of technology 4.0 in the low and high technology production sectors that integrate the innovation ecosystem of the Mexican state of Guanajuato through an analysis of the productive reorganization and reindustrialization process experienced in the state during the last decade. The research methodology comprised two phases: (1) a quantitative study that organized the indicators and dynamic capabilities of the low- and high-tech sectors into statistical databases; and (2) a qualitative study based on 12 semi-structured interviews with key actors of the industrial, governmental, and academic sectors of the state's ecosystem with experience in technology transfer. The findings showed the coevolution of the region, its high demand for technologies 4.0, and the potential technology transfer from the university to the productive sectors. Results support the proposal that the social and inclusive transference of technology 4.0 could have a social impact on this heterogeneous region and provoke a disruption in the educational system in terms of the design of software development careers, revision of the hard and soft capabilities in computer science programs, and the upgrading of the technological capabilities required to adapt and compete with the rapid pace of Technology 4.0.