Thesis analyzes factors that affect the performance of Technological Innovation Centers

Among their functions within universities and research institutes, the Technological Innovation Centers (NITs) are responsible for managing intellectual property protection activities and boosting innovation and technological transfer. In his doctoral thesis on Scientific and Technological Policy at the Institute of Geosciences, Ana Carolina Spatti analyzed two innovation agencies from Brazilian public universities, using the ethnography to identify and characterize factors that affect their performance.

The results found by Ana Carolina were presented in the thesis Up close and from within: a characterization of the factors that affect the performance of Technological Innovation Centers, written under the guidance of professor Milena Serafim, from FCA. “For the first time, internal factors of NITs related to their organizational performance are identified, described and analyzed with these materials and methods. These are, above all, intangible aspects, such as knowledge, skills, power relations, negotiation processes and bureaucratic aspects”, points out Ana Carolina.

Of the two innovation agencies that were the focus of the study, one of them is linked to a federal public university and the other to a state university, both with strong interaction with industry and important processes for protecting intellectual property assets and technological transfer. An important factor in choosing the agencies was due to the acceptance of the research by the NIT team. Ana Carolina had direct contact with people from all areas for seven months. Using participant observation techniques and non-directive interviews, she truly followed a working schedule: she went every day of the week on-site visit, arriving at 8am and leaving at the end of the day. Thus, he managed explore cultural, social and institutional elements of these agencies, involving leadership, motivation, communication, politics and organizational structure. Continuous contact made it possible to observe behavior, actions and social interactions, in addition to favoring the analysis of representations about work practice and the daily challenges of an innovation agency.

For advisor Milena Serafim, the main contribution of the study is the unprecedented way of approaching the NITs "up close and from within", seeking to understand how organizational factors shape the characteristics and performance potential of these Centers. “The study calls into question the mimetic pattern of practices that work in other contexts, highlighting the role of influence of institutional, human (behavioral) and resource (including informational) factors on the success or otherwise of these NITs. Public policy implementation studies show how the organizational environment imprints a logic that cannot be ignored; on the contrary, it is the lever or obstacle in the process”, he says.

Among other findings, the research fills gaps related to the participation of NITs in the organization and general mission of universities, as well as those linked to the management of intellectual property and technology transfer. The study indicates that the University managers must position the innovation agency with broad governance at the university, allowing administrative and operational activities to be carried out autonomously and without bureaucracy.

NITs have dedicated much of their efforts to protecting industrial property assets, such as patents. In her thesis, Ana Carolina points out that the performance of agencies cannot be measured solely by the commercial results associated with intellectual property and technology transfer. Efficiency also depends on factors such as number of qualified employees, organization autonomy, motivation systems, organizational climate, management tools and systems, communication skills, negotiation, training and networking of staff. They are resources, capabilities and competencies of the organization and the individual in their working relationship. Using the methodological approach, the The study also contributes to supporting ethnographic experiences in organizations and guiding field research practices.