Miopia de marketing em universidades públicas brasileiras desde a pesquisa até a comercialização de tecnologias

Abstract

In this dissertation, the objective was to understand the role of marketing from research to commercialization of technologies in Brazilian public universities. This is justified by the increasing demand that universit ies more actively contribute for the economic and social development of the country by the transference of scientific knowledge to the market in the form of technologies with commercial potential (marketable products - innovations). To reach this general o bjective, the work was structured in the form of three distinct articles. Article 1 (Commercialization of university technologies and marketing: a scope review) launched the bases for understanding the alternatives for studies on the role of marketing from research to commercialization of technologies in universities. The work was elaborated by means of a scope review of literature inherent to marketing and commercialization of university technologies. The results of this article point to the development of a framework for marketing studies from research to the commercialization of technology in universities, which was done by means of Article 2 (Proposition of a framework for marketing studies from research to technology commercialization in universities). The framework proposed in the second article approaches the university as part of society, with the marketing making feasible the interaction between both environments. The framework was comprised by the following elements: 1. Proactive market analysis (sensing); 2. Marketing-research integration (a. external organizations; b. Technological Innovation Nuclei - NITs); 3. Strategic marketing orientation (a. technology; b. consumer/citizen; c. entrepreneurial); 4. Contemporary marketing practices; 5. Marketing obstacles. Thus, the framework allowed the conduction of the field research, which gave origin to Article 3 (Marketing myopia in Brazilian public universities from research to technology commercialization). In this article, a quantitative research was conducted by means of a structured interview applied via internet to professors and researchers regarding patent deposits in INPI (patents under analysis or conceded), leaders of research groups directed at innovation, employees and directors of the Technological Innovation Nuclei, and others involved with the development, protection and commercialization of academic technologies in Brazilian public universities. A sample of 236 respondents was obtained, which allowed the factorial and cluster analysis. From t he perception of the respondents, it was verified that the universities do not use proactive market analysis or marketing integration by means of external organizations. Despite being fragile, the role of the NITs was considered an alternative for marketing integrating in the studied context. The technological orientation prevailed over consumer/citizen and entrepreneurial orientation. The marketing practices used to stimulate technology transference from the universities were fragile and presented transact ional tendency. Finally, the obstacles to marketing were strong within the context of the universities. The results point to marketing myopia in Brazilian public universities, which contradicts the increasing demand that these institutions contribute more actively for generating society value. Thus, the universities must develop marketing capacities in order to anticipate and act over market and society changes, in a long-term perspective, aiming at a more direct contribution to the economic and technological development in Brazil, based on market knowledge.