*3.2. Face-to-Face Interviews*

To gain an in-depth understanding of Florianópolis' innovation performance and potentials, the survey results were further explored and validated through in-depth interviews with 12 key policymakers and policy influencers of the State of Santa Catarina. Due to the importance of the quadruple helix for innovation ecosystems, the interviewees were selected at the ratio of 3 representatives of each sector: public, private, academic, and non-for-profit, as shown in Table 3. Seniority and high-level innovation knowledge were also factors considered for the interviewee's selection.



The semi-structured interviews gathered an average of nine recording hours. Interviewees were asked to sign a consent and confidentiality agreement to participate in the research. After giving interviewees a brief introduction on the investigation and the online survey results, the researchers directed the following six key conversation starter questions, adding complementary questions whenever necessary:


Each transcribed interview text was carefully read and analyzed to identify each interviewee's perspectives on the opportunities and challenges for Florianópolis's transition towards becoming a smart city of innovation considering all four KBUD dimensions.
