Barriers to turning inventions into innovations in Brazilian public universities

Abstract

Strong innovation drives enhanced competitiveness in a country, which can only be attained through investments in research and technology. Nevertheless, Brazilian firms deal with incremental innovation in terms of process innovation, design modifications, and product suitability to local market conditions. In addition, despite legislative changes and previous investments, Brazil’s ranking on the Global Index of Innovation (GII) fell from 47th in 2011 to 69th in 2017. This study examines the processes and activities that incorporate laws, norms, and cultures. It identifies the barriers researchers in Brazilian public universities face when trying to turn an invention into an innovation to determine the key features of these barriers and provide guidelines for overcoming them. Small-scale semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 key individuals in organizations involved with innovation at the university – and its limits. Data was subjected to content analysis, and the findings were consolidated based on grounded theory. Results indicate that cultural differences are the most important factor, followed by people’s lack of knowledge about the laws, norms, and policies that support innovation in public universities. Accordingly, the study offers guidelines to help manage barriers to turning inventions into innovations, including structuring the processes and activities to integrate Brazilian laws, norms, and culture, as well as connecting people and institutions to provide various technology transfer solutions.