Waldimir Pirró e Longo

A Diagnosis of Brazilian Shipbuilding Industry on the Basis of Methodology for an Analysis of Sectorial Systems of Innovation

A recent resumption of Brazilian shipbuilding industry, driven by the purchasing power of the state, has presented controversial opinions concerning its effective contribution to, in the first instance, the innovation and competitiveness in the sector and secondly, for Brazilian development. The present study, conducted between November 2009 and May 2011, analyses the said industry from a methodology based on an approach of system sectors of innovation, seeking to highlight the existence and intensity of relationships between the main organizations and institutions, which are members of the industry, in addition to verifying the individual contributions of each of the stakeholders to the industrial competitiveness. As a result of the study, an accurate diagnosis is presented concerning the main aspects to be prioritized through the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, in addition to reviews of proposals of scientific and industrial policies directed towards the said industry, specifically as regards the granting of public funds for research and development demands be revised, as should be aligned to the real needs of the country and the productive sector.

The government's role as a main actor in pharmaceuticals R&D: a case study

The importance of natural products as a source of new high value-added drugs has, no doubt, transformed Brazilian megadiversity into one of the countrys most valuable and strategic assets. Thus the rational exploration of the Brazilian flora on an economic basis should be considered as part of a national development strategy. In this respect, governmental mechanisms to stimulate regulation on the access, bioprospection and industrial use of natural products represent a crucial issue. The aim of this paper is to show how the incentives and institutional arrangements that led to one of the greatest breakthroughs in the pharmaceutical industry, the development and commercialization of the anti-cancer agent Taxol, could be applied to the Brazilian case.