Redes sociotécnicas de ciencia, levaduras y cerveza, entre cerveceros artesanales, una corporación cervecera y un grupo de investigación académico de San Carlos de Bariloche (2000-2019)

Abstract

This thesis aims to understand the modalities of relations and configurations of academic research groups, scientific and technological infrastructures and beer producers, in Argentina, 2000-2019. Around 1987, a yeasts scientific research group started at the Centro Regional Universitario de Bariloche (CRUB) of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue (UNCO). The group was specialized in yeasts from natural environments. Around 2012, part of it was reconfigured to work with brewer's yeasts. This started with the identification in Nahuel Huapi National Park of a yeast related to lager yeast, widely used by the large brewing industry. On the other hand, towards the end of the 1990s, the production of craft beer began to emerge in Argentina. Between 2004 and 2005 the foundation of breweries in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche began a new generation of craft breweries or microbreweries. By 2012, relationships were established between the academic group and regional breweries, which will lead to services and research projects. In 2015, the scientific group stars in an important technology transfer event with an international brewing corporation. Even with the emergence of craft breweries at national level, the large Argentine industrial breweries, owned by international conglomerates, dominated the market. These events and processes can be approached as socio-technical networks, the problem posed is how are relations shaped and what are the configurations of the socio-technical networks of yeast scientists and brewers, and what social, cultural and technical elements mediate these relationships? Objects and cases were selected to address the research problem, such as, first, the emergence of an academic research group in microbiology and biotechnology, its lines and objects. Secondly, research infrastructures such as culture collections, with functions in scientific work and in the circulation of knowledge, protection of biodiversity and its commercialization. Thirdly, the brewing industry, especially relevant elements of the brewing industry in relation to the particularities of the product and science and technology. And finally, the interactions between a microbiology academic group, the university and various institutions with craft brewers and a corporation. The analysis uses theoretical concepts of the Actor-Network approach such as socio-technical networks, intermediaries and mediators, conceptualizations of research groups and studies on infrastructures and university-industry interaction from social studies of science and technology. The approach is qualitative, the collection and analysis techniques used are interviews, participant and non-participant observation, documentary analysis and narrative analysis.