Manuel Mira Godinho

Do individual factors matter? A survey of scientists' patenting in Portuguese public research organisations

This paper addresses scientists’ behaviour regarding the patenting of knowledge produced in universities and other public sector research organisations (PSROs). Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth in patenting and licensing activities by PSROs. We argue that the whole process depends to a certain extent on scientists’ willingness to disclose their inventions. Given this assumption, we conduct research into individual behaviour in order to understand scientists’ views concerning the patenting of their research results. Data from a questionnaire survey of Portuguese researchers from nine PSROs in life sciences and biotechnology is presented and analysed and complemented with in-depth interviews. The results reveal that overall the scientists surveyed show a low propensity to become involved in patenting and licensing activities, despite the fact that the majority had no “ethical” objections to the disclosure of their inventions and the commercial exploitation of these. Perceptions about the impacts of these activities on certain fundamental aspects of knowledge production and dissemination are however divergent. This may account for the low participation levels. Furthermore, most scientists perceived the personal benefits deriving from this type of activity to be low. Similarly, the majority also believed that there are many difficulties associated with the patenting process and that they receive limited support from their organisations, which lack the proper competences and structures to assist with patenting and licensing.

How institutional nature and available resources determine the performance of technology transfer offices

Abstract This paper assesses the performance of GAPIs and OTICs, two different types of university technology transfer offices that have been active in Portuguese higher education institutions, since 2000 and 2006, respectively. Data originating from a survey of these offices were analysed through both cluster analysis and the estimation of a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) model. Results show that the institutional nature of each of the surveyed organisations implies different behaviours and outputs. Furthermore, it is shown that the resources and activities of the surveyed offices determine their performance concurrently with regard to technology transfer, licencing contracts and technology-based spin-offs. The results of this study may be particularly relevant for countries that are in the process of developing their university technology transfer activities, as they can help to shape policies in relation to TTOs’ funding and resource allocation during the earlier stages of these activities.

Patterns and determinants of trademark use in Portugal

This book contributes to the discussion about the relevance of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship for industrial innovation in the context of traditional low-technology industries.

The expansion of emerging economies' multinationals: the case of Embraer in Portugal

Embraer, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, has transformed itself after privatisation in 1992 to become a world market leader in a high-tech industry traditionally dominated by OECD-based companies. In recent years Embraer has also become an aggressive foreign investor and took over Portugals OMGA in 2005 as part of a privatisation process. This paper analyses the organisational processes being deployed to consolidate the existing knowledge base and build new capabilities. We argue that OGMA top management lacked a clear view about how to integrate technology, organisational change and marketing to achieve competitiveness, whereas at Embraer management played a key role in aligning innovation for dynamic capabilities in different areas. We also examine the implications of the industry slowdown that has hit Embraer, and other companies, since 2008. Finally the paper addresses Embraers recent manufacturing expansion in Portugal by investing in a green site where it intends to install two new plants.

Simulating the prospects of technological catching up

Local increasing returns associated with static and dynamic scale effects, knowledge spillovers, polarization effects and the distance that separates different regions are among the most important driving forces behind the dynamics of economic and technological convergence. This paper puts forward a computational simulation model that seeks to integrate these factors. The modelling exercise was designed in order to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between the aspects underlying the specific trajectories of regional technological accumulation and the aggregate convergence/divergence patterns stemming from these trajectories. In particular, the role of history and geography in the dynamics of technological convergence is emphasized.

S&T culture: a blooming dimension

In this paper we present an overview of available indicators and discuss new elements of analysis, qualitative and quantitative, drawn from the practices involved in the promotion of scientific culture. In this exercise, indicators for scientific culture and literacy were matched with a broad set of data covering S&T, social and economical aspects. For this purpose we have resorted to Eurobarometer data (2001) on the relationship of Europeans (EU15) with science and technology and current socio-economic indicators in the various Member States. Forty-six variables were grouped into sets of composite indicators, which represent eight major dimensions: scientific culture and literacy, Investment in education, Educational attainment, S&T activities, technology diffusion and innovation, economic performance and structure, social and institutional development, and access to information and culture. Cluster analysis grouped countries into four sets whose weaker and stronger aspects are discussed. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Academic patenting in Brazil: the role of academic inventors in PCT patent applications – 2002-2012

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the patenting activity of the Brazilian academic sector vis-a-vis the domestic business sector, taking into account the recent evolution of Brazil’s industrial policies. The paper differentiates between “university academic patents”, which are owned by the universities, and “non-university academic patents”, which despite being invented by academic staff are not owned by the universities.,The authors’ cross-checked information regarding the names of all inventors with Brazilian addresses in PCT patent applications in the Espacenet database with the names of researchers in the CVs available on the Lattes Platform of CNPq. The analysis specifically focussed on patent applications published in the PCT with Brazilian priority for the 2002-2012 period.,It was found that the Brazilian academic patents concentrate on science-based technology areas, especially in the Pharma Biotechnology domain. For a total of 466 patent applications with Brazilian priority in this field, 233 have academic inventors. Of those 233 academic applications, 66.1 per cent have universities as their owners, while the remaining 33.9 per cent are not owned by universities. Further, it was found that there are more Brazilian academic patents in the biotechnology sub-domain than those filed by the business sector.,This research was based on the intersection of patent databases and the content available on the official curriculum base of Brazil (Lattes Platform, CNPq). Once the curricula information are voluntary, there are risks inherent reliability of this information.,This study allows us to identify more accurately which is the effective role of the Brazilian Academy in patents generation, revealing that a significant unaccounted deposits with personal inventors or companies’ ownership really have a academic contribution.,This paper shows that the academic sector plays a key role in Brazil’s international patenting activity, particularly in science-intensive technology domains, and it highlights the specific contribution of academic patents not owned by universities.,Este trabalho apresenta a analise da atividade de patenteamento do setor academico brasileiro considerando a recente evolucao das politicas de promocao da inovacao no Brasil. O artigo tem como base a diferenciacao necessaria entre “patentes academicas universitarias”, que sao patentes/depositos cujos requerentes sao as universidades, e as “patentes academicas nao-universitarias” que, apesar de ser inventadas por docentes da academia, nao tem as universidades como requerentes dos depositos.,Foram cruzadas informacoes de todos os inventores constantes nos pedidos de patentes de origem brasileira realizados pela via PCT, com os nomes dos pesquisadores com curriculos disponiveis na Plataforma Lattes do CNPq. A analise incidiu sobre pedidos de patentes publicado na via do PCT com prioridade brasileira para o periodo 2002-2012 contidos no banco de dados do Espacenet.,Verificou-se que as patentes academicas brasileiras se concentram em areas mais tecnologicas, especialmente no dominio de Farmacia-Biotecnologia. Para um total de 466 pedidos de patentes com prioridade brasileiros neste setor, 233 tinham inventores academicos. Destes 233 pedidos academicos, 66.1% tem suas universidades como titulares ou co-titulares, enquanto os restantes 33.9% nao sao de propriedade das universidades. Verificou-se ainda que existem mais patentes no sub-dominio de biotecnologia depositadas pelo setor academico brasileiro do que aquelas requeridas pelo setor empresarial privado.,Neste artigo, demonstrou que a academia desempenha um papel ainda mais expressivo na atividade de patenteamento internacional do Brasil, particularmente em dominios de tecnologia intensivos em ciencia, e destaca a contribuicao especifica das “patentes academicas nao-universitarias”, que possuem origem lastreada pelos pesquisadores da academia.

How Inventor Royalty Shares Affect Patenting and Income in Portugal and Spain

Portuguese and Spanish universities have adopted well-defined royalty sharing schedules during the last fifteen years. We investigate whether these inventor royalty shares have been effective at stimulating inventors’ efforts and ultimately improving university outcomes. We base our empirical analysis on university-level data as well as on new self-collected surveys completed by inventors and Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). Econometric evidence from the university-level dataset indicates that royalty shares have no impact on patenting or licensing income. The same result emerges from the inventors’ survey, with most respondents claiming to be largely unaffected by royalty sharing. Evidence from both the TTO and inventors’ surveys suggests that inventors do not react to royalty sharing because of the poor commercial prospects of their inventions, which means there is little income to be shared. These poor prospects appear to reflect the fact that the TTOs do not focus sufficiently on commercializing inventions and inventors are unable to produce potentially licensable inventions.