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This study aims to analyze the perception of mom entrepreneurs of the region of Triângulo Mineiro (State of Minas Gerais - Brazil) about the use of ICTs in their businesses. A quantitative approach with application of online questionnaires was adopted. The main results show that respondents have used ICTs to support their management activities. However, the results also reveal that many respondents, even using ICTs in their businesses, do not necessarily feel comfortable in using these technologies to support their activities. The study reinforces the benefits of contemporary technologies to support the management process, but also reveals a scenario that can motivate training and qualification actions to optimize the benefits from ICTs in the Triângulo Mineiro region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Technology Park of Salvador was inaugurated, in 2012, with the mission of stimulating the creation, strengthening and attracting innovative ventures and technology transfer, generating a set of positive consequences in the regional space and making of Salvador a business center of high added value. Based on this understanding, this article seeks to evaluate the design and implementation of this structure and its capacity to achieve the objectives outlined. The research is classified, as regards its method, as inductive and adopts the procedure of the Case Study. In addition to the analysis of documents related to the creation and administration of the Park, we used semi-structured interviews and the application of questionnaires to its managers and resident and incubated companies. This study demonstrated that there is a gap in this structure between what was planned and what was executed, a situation that apparently has a strong relationship with the dysfunctional of its governance model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a close relationship between economic development and technological advancement. In this article, a technology transfer project developed at UFMG for Crômic, an APL shoe company from Nova Serrana (MG), is evaluated. The data were obtained through documentary research in the archives of UFMG and semi-structured interviews with the main agents involved in this process. The process of transferring technology from UFMG to Crômic is a typical process of cooperation between universities and the productive sector, stimulating new innovation projects, new agreements, technological partnerships and new products. From its evaluation, it was possible to describe the démarches undertaken, to analyze the results produced and to propose some suggestions for improvement in the integration process between university and company still incipient in Brazil. The project studied proves the positive contribution of university-enterprise cooperation to promote industrial innovation, increase the competitiveness of the national product and the resumption of the country's development in the face of the serious crisis in which it is immersed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities are sources of innovation: they may develop discoveries into marketable innovation while promoting policies that could potentially create a receptive environment for entrepreneurship. Technology transfer may occur to either the public or the private sector. In this way, universities must be involved in activities focused on transferring expertise and technology to user communities, industry, and businesses. A technology transfer office may be understood as a high performance team that guides research to business reality using different strategies. In order to suggest ways to improve communications and co-operation with industry and business community, this paper develops a reference model in which essential steps are presented to drive technology transfer offices to continuous improvement while focusing on strategic ICT planning. The model also considers the importance of training as a preparation for change as well as the creation of a knowledge base composed of case studies describing the transitions considered in each cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th is paper presents an overview of patenting activities carried out by Brazilian public universities. Th e analysis is based on data and information collected directly at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), at the Technology Transfer Offi ce (TTO) at each university studied, as well as at the Lattes Database from the National Research Council (CNPq). Th e main results show a signifi cant increase in the number of patents fi led by Brazilian universities in the most recent period; a geographical concentration of academic patents in the South-eastern region, mainly in the São Paulo State; the leadership of FAPESP as the main coassignee; the diff erent licensing strategies adopted by universities and the high level of academic maturity of the inventors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]