Ana Maria Carneiro

Evaluation of ST&I programs: a methodological approach to the Brazilian Small Business Program and some comparisons with the SBIR program

Evaluation of research results and impacts is a topic of growing interest to public and private organizations worldwide. Indeed, it can be said that evaluation initiatives are a top priority for many RD and b) to present an application of this methodology to a Brazilian public program that aims to foster the emergence of innovative small firms, and compare it with some findings for a similar US program. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Access to higher education in Brazil

This article presents an overview of the recent expansion of higher education [HE] in Brazil, with a focus on access and equity issues. [The authors] analyze affirmative action policies and legislation, and the impact of those policies on the equity of access. Research shows that affirmative action policies have had a positive impact on reducing inequalities in HE in Brazil, but secondary education is still the main bottleneck for further progress, both in terms of expanding higher education and of making access more equitable. [The authors] then analyze how expansion has been occurring differently by sector (public versus private), and show some structural changes that are emerging in the private sector, in particular regarding the split between non-profit/for-profit private higher education and the recent growth in distance learning.

Inovação e avaliação na cultura do ensino superior brasileiro: formação geral interdisciplinar

O texto tem por objetivo apresentar resultados parciais da avaliacao do Programa de Formacao Interdisciplinar Superior (ProFIS) relacionados a proposta de formacao geral interdisciplinar, a qual representa uma inovacao na cultura do ensino superior brasileiro. A educacao geral prevista pelo Programa preocupa-se em preparar os estudantes com maior conhecimento, senso critico e maturidade a partir da ampliacao de seu conhecimento e cultura, bem como prepara-los como cidadaos para as atividades que venham a desenvolver futuramente. Alem da inovacao curricular, o curso tem por objetivo estabelecer uma politica de acao afirmativa diferenciada, na Universidade Estadual de Campinas- Unicamp, por meio da inclusao social de alunos da rede publica. Apresentamos brevemente a formacao geral como enfase curricular adotada por universidades em varias partes do mundo. Em seguida, apresentamos a proposta do ProFIS, seu estagio atual de desenvolvimento e analisamos os resultados parciais do processo de avaliacao continua que estamos desenvolvendo. O processo de avaliacao e desenvolvido com professores, alunos e coordenador do curso.

ProFIS: A New Paradigm for Higher Education in Brazil

Public universities represent nowadays a relatively small part of the Brazilian higher education system, both in terms of number of institutions and in terms of enrolment. Approximately 3/4 of all undergraduate students in Brazil attend private institutions. Public institutions are, on average, much more selective than those in the private system. This profile has two basic causes: the higher prestige of public universities and the fact that they do not charge any tuition fees. However, many of the students who are accepted at public universities come from wealthy families, and relatively fewer are from poor families or from minority groups, such as afro-descendents. The higher selectivity has a clear effect of inhibiting them from applying to a public Higher Education Institution (HEI), as we will see in the case of the University of Campinas (Unicamp), one of the most selective universities in Brazil.

The Challenges of Teaching and Training in Intellectual Property

The article discusses the challenges of teaching Intellectual Property (IP) in the University of Campinas (Unicamp, Brazil), with reference to the data obtained from a large survey and analysis of the disciplines offered in the undergraduate, graduate and university extension courses, and interviews with professors responsible for these courses and disciplines. The results indicate that although Unicamp has a prominent role in promoting innovation, occupying the second position in the ranking of the largest depositors of patent applications in Brazil, the teaching of the subject in the institution still relies on individual initiatives of the professors themselves, being exclusively dependent on the interest and skills of these individuals rather than a more general orientation of the university. The discussion closes with some observations as to how education and training in IP could be improved, in an attempt to convert them into instruments conducive to the promotion of innovation within nations.

Multidimensional evaluation of a program for early-career researcher in Brazil - the Young Investigator in Emerging Centers program

São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP, has implemented an award program as a way to develop new research centers and to provide more opportunity to recent doctors, or productive doctors without regular job position, the “Young Investigator in Emerging Centers” (YIEC). This paper intends to present main results from an external evaluation of this program, covering a period from 1996 to 2006. Results found in this evaluation evidence that YIEC has reached some of targets, mainly concerning the research activity in private institutions. This program was a very important instrument to create the basic infrastructure for research activities in this type of HI opening new opportunities to recent doctors. The creation and improvement of research groups out of the excellence axe also should be highlighted, since it is one of the main goals. In general, the impact in institutions could be considered expressive, since that even new graduation courses were created, and the impact in post-graduation programs was expressive, improving and creating new disciplines and courses.

Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program (ProFIS): Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract The objective of this paper is to present the Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program (ProFIS) of the University of Campinas – UNICAMP – and discuss the main challenges related to the implementation of the program and the impact on the educational and professional trajectory of students. ProFIS was set up with a distinctive approach towards social inclusion and curricular innovation, seeking to attract the best students from public high schools to offer them a general education program as a first step in higher education. Another novelty is the inclusion of an ongoing evaluation of the program from its implementation. It merges monitoring and impact evaluation instruments to monitor and improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the interventions. Preliminary results will be discussed in relation to retention and social inclusion.