Análise comparativa das principais características das pesquisas de inovação tecnológica de Brasil e Espanha

Abstract

This research proposes a comparison between data from the survey about technological innovation in Brazil, and data from Spain. These two countries were selected because of the existence of a database that follows the Oslo Manual, and the proximity of the author with to reality of Spain, obtained from the Erasmus Mundus Exchange Program. The comparison of science, technology and innovation systems in different countries shows great differences and characteristics in common. In spite of the evident weaknesses, Brazil offers some promising growth potential and this attracted the attention of international investors, academics and businessmen to identify its particularities. Therefore, it became necessary to measure critical aspects in the process of innovation, and the Oslo Manual was created with this purpose. Developing countries need to increase their innovative potential in order to compete with the great world powers. However, Brazil has 10% fewer IFs than Spain. Thus, we observe that, despite the efforts made by these companies, there is much to be improved, in order to reduce the shortage of foreign technologies, particularly for process innovation, because most of the innovations of this sort are not the responsibility the company itself. In Brazil, the companies which are directly dependent on science and technology are the most innovative. The Brazilian IFs recognize the importance of information sources, but their practices do not seem consistent with this. However, this property may be a consequence from the problem of lack of qualified personnel. The internal R&D activities are not common in the Brazilian IF, and the result is the dependence of the technology produced externally. Training is an activity more common in Brazil. As main results, Brazil has 3% more innovative firms (IF) than Spain. About the methodology, this work can be classified as a bibliographical and documentary research, regarding the means, and as an exploratory and descriptive study, regarding the purposes. The results show that the Brazilian reality is not far from the reality of a developed country. There are deficiencies in our system that must be addressed in order to reduce the problems and obstacles imposed to the companies, and increase the use of knowledge generated internally.