Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Velho, Lea
Author-Email: velho@intech.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: United Nations University, Institute for New Technologies
Author-Name: Saenz, Tirso W.
Title: R&D in the Public and Private Sector in Brazil: Complements or Substitutes? 
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of the relations between the
	 Brazilian public research sector, particularly the universities, and the productive
	 sector as stimulated, directly or indirectly, by government policies from the 70's
	 up to the present days. Special emphasis is given to the schemes devised by the
	 Ministry of Science and Technology, which was created in 1985. The argument we want
	 to develop is that government actions to bring universities and enterprises closer
	 together may have succeeded in doing so for the duration of a specific project, but
	 were unable to create long-lasting links. The role of university research as
	 complementary to, and not substitute for, industrial research is emphasised in a
	 number of recent studies on innovation, as outlined in the first section. Then, we
	 proceed to the analysis of the evolution of the relations between the public sector
	 research and industry in Brazil. We start with a sketch of the industrialisation by
	 import substitution model adopted in Brazil, highlighting the role played in it by
	 local R&D, when the country was under military rule. Next we tackle the changes in
	 those relations as the country reoriented its development model with the return to
	 democratic regime in 1985. The Ministry of Science and Technology, created in that
	 year, has since then devised and implemented a number of schemes to foster links
	 between public sector research and enterprises. The most significant of those
	 schemes are presented and their results are analysed. We conclude by saying that
	 government actions to stimulate private investment in R&D as well as fostering
	 links between enterprises and public sector research had a very limited success
Keywords: R&D, Science and Technology Policy, University-Industry Relations, S&T Indicators
Series: Discussion Paper
Creation-Date: 2002
Number: 08
File-URL: http://www.intech.unu.edu/publications/discussion-papers/2002-8.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 315 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unuint:200208