In this Discussion Paper, Tulio Chiarini and Victo Silva analyze the Lattes Platform, a public initiative developed endogenously in the late 1990s which was very innovative.

Although there are many academic studies published using data provided by the Lattes Platform, the authors identified a lack of official reports and articles that address Lattes as a digital platform and its adequacy in the context of the platform economy.

The authors propose that the early-stage technology choices made by CNPq and the constant budget cuts for the Lattes Platform’s maintenance and technological upgrading have strongly affected the platform’s trajectory. As a consequence the Lattes Platform may be locked-in to a technological trajectory that could lead to the stagnation of its functionalities, putting at risk its indispensable and infrastructural character.

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