The aim of this article was to study how a successful innovative network on molecular diagnosis for public health in Brazil, emerged as an idea innovation network with six functional research arenas. We adopted a qualitative case study with in-depth interviews and documentary data. We found that the idea innovation network model was predictive of innovation and technological development, presenting connectedness within and between arenas. We extended the model by finding that the structure of relationship within arenas are not the same as of between arenas, with the former being composed of stronger ties and closer networks, while the latter was formed by sparser networks of relationships, connected through structural holes. We also contributed by showing that the functional research arenas of an idea innovation network may not be equally developed, as we found three stages of development of the research areas: consolidated, advanced development stage, and preliminary development stage.
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Bonfim et al. (2017) studied this question.