Title: Formulation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies at Subnational Level: Isomorphism and Attachment to Local Realities The aim of this work is to discuss the formulation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies at a subnational level. The paper is based upon a discussion about the issues associated with the formulation of subnational STI policies and a comparison of the procedures adopted in the Brazilian states. It is argued that state governments tend to replicate each other when formulating their STI policies, even if this isomorphic behavior hinders the attachment of the proposed policies with the different local realities. The isomorphic behavior is credited to (i) the necessity of justify the propositions at several different levels of validation; (ii) the lower level of autonomy state governments enjoy (when compared to national governments) to implement their propositions; (iii) the higher level of uncertainty associated to the results of STI policies; and (iv) the adjustment of subnational institutions to federal ones as way of increase their possibilities of getting more resources. Some policy implications of this paper are: (i) subnational governments should try to match the largely accepted trends to their local realities when formulation their strategies of intervention; (ii) subnational STI policies should be permanently validated by all the affected stakeholders; and (iii) partnerships between local governments and the federal governments should be reinforced in order to decentralize the application of resources.Title: Formulation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies at Subnational Level: Isomorphism and Attachment to Local Realities The aim of this work is to discuss the formulation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies at a subnational level. The paper is based upon a discussion about the issues associated with the formulation of subnational STI policies and a comparison of the procedures adopted in the Brazilian states. It is argued that state governments tend to replicate each other when formulating their STI policies, even if this isomorphic behavior hinders the attachment of the proposed policies with the different local realities. The isomorphic behavior is credited to (i) the necessity of justify the propositions at several different levels of validation; (ii) the lower level of autonomy state governments enjoy (when compared to national governments) to implement their propositions; (iii) the higher level of uncertainty associated to the results of STI policies; and (iv) the adjustment of subnational institutions to federal ones as way of increase their possibilities of getting more resources. Some policy implications of this paper are: (i) subnational governments should try to match the largely accepted trends to their local realities when formulation their strategies of intervention; (ii) subnational STI policies should be permanently validated by all the affected stakeholders; and (iii) partnerships between local governments and the federal governments should be reinforced in order to decentralize the application of resources.O objetivo deste trabalho é discutir a formulação de políticas de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (CT&I) em nível subnacional. Do ponto de vista metodológico, o trabalho apóia-se em uma discussão sobre a formulação de políticas estaduais de CT&I, buscando comparar as diretrizes que vêm sendo adotadas nas diferentes unidades da federação. Argumenta-se que as instituições, ao formularem suas estratégias de ação, tendem a convergir para as tendências de larga aceitação, replicando, entre si, proposições similares, ainda que este isomorfismo possa comprometer a aderência das ações propostas às realidades locais. Atribui-se este fenômeno (i) à necessidade de legitimação das proposições nos seus diferentes espaços de validação; (ii) aos menores níveis de autonomia dos governos estaduais em relação ao governo federal para a implementação das ações propostas; (iii) à incerteza quanto aos resultados que podem ser obtidos com a adoção de políticas de CT&I; e (iv) à necessidade de ajustamento das instituições subnacionais às políticas federais como forma de ampliar suas possibilidades de captação de recursos. Finalmente, argumenta-se em favor (i) da formulação de políticas que busquem conciliar as tendências de larga aceitação com as diferentes realidades regionais; (ii) da permanente validação das proposições com segmentos sociais direta ou indiretamente afetados por estas políticas; e (iii) da descentralização de recursos federais, de modo que sua aplicação possa ser feita em parceria com governos subnacionais.