Sustainable Economic Development Based on
Technological Innovation
Fernanda Hellen Mansano, Leonardo da Costa Urt and Marcelo Farid Pereira
Abstract: The society development is increasingly related to the capacity of such society to generate
innovation in several segments, mainly in the entrepreneurial area where competition is getting fiercer.
Thus it becomes essential to creating technological development system that extends from basic research
to the use of all technological developments by companies and society. Than conducting the innovation
process in a systemic way. The Brazilian universities have a wealth of research that can be transferred to
the productive sector. However, these have few mechanisms that foster the transfer to companies.
Technological Incubators are environments that encourage and facilitate this process and result in
innovative products, services and processes. This is because they are close to universities and research
centers and still manage to make the dialogue between companies and academy. Thus, a study was
developed to evaluate which type of innovation the resident enterprises of Maringa´s Technological
Incubator are providing to the society and if there is a partnership with the academy. The methodology
includes a literature review and a questionnaire to residents companies. Aiming to analyze it is occurring
technology transfer, innovation and partnerships with the academy. The preliminary results point to the
facilitation in the innovation process and interaction with the academy. Also was observed that there is an
improvement in the competitiveness of local companies through the use of new technologies.
Keywords: Innovation, sustainable economic, incubators, technology transfer, universities interaction,
companies development.
1. Introduction
Technological innovation is a tool for sustainable economic development and is increasingly together with
gains in efficiency and competitiveness. Joseph A. Schumpeter (1883-1950) was the precursor in analysis
of the technical advance’s development and its effects on the economy, contributing significantly to a
better understanding of economic development and its progress over time. Innovation does not come
spontaneously, it must have investment in research and development to ensure that it occurs. Currently, in
neo-shumpeterian studies, innovation is the result of interaction between universities, government and
private companies, known as triple helix.
The subject of the article refers to some of the different aspects that constitute economic development
based on technological innovation, as technology transfer, innovation process, innovation indicators, the
interrelationship between university, government and the productive environment and the mechanisms
used by universities as technology incubators. This subject was chosen because there is still a bottleneck
between the academic and productive environment, and the objective, therefore, is to show the importance
of mechanisms like the Technology Incubator in the process of technology transfer.
Thus, this paper is to show a theoretical-conceptual review which consecutively discusses about: The
economic development generated by innovation, innovation and technology transfer and the triple helix
and incubators. The objective is observe if occur the partnership between companies resident in the
Technology Incubator of Maringá, university and society, and if it is occurring technology transfer and
176 innovative products. In this way, the article was distributed in seven chapters beginning with the
introduction, three chapters of literature review, a chapter that describes the methodology utilized, a
chapter devoted to the results presentation and, finally, a chapter contend the main conclusions.
2. Economic Development
In developed countries, innovation is used as a tool for increasing the competitiveness and it is already a
reality in almost all sectors, especially in agriculture and in the consumer goods industries. The value of
products and services depends of the ability to transform information into knowledge, using an increasing
percentage of technological innovation. The improvement of the technologies is important because
increased value and reflect benefits to society. According Pierry (2011), a society’s wealth is related to its
ability to generate training and empowerment of people. Thus, it is important to point the technological
development, where of the trajectory starts from the base´s research to reach the productive environment.
Technological innovation is responsible for breaking and improves production techniques, which can
generate better competitiveness, improving machinery and equipment, increasing the productivity of labor
and the growth of product and employment. According to Castro (2006), knowledge needs to have a
central role in economic development, becoming a main factor in the innovation and in the increased
competitiveness. Education institutions are paramount on new technologies’ development, because they
act as a mechanism that facilitate technology transfer, which in turn, asserts itself as a crucial element for
economic development and the progress, both more or less developed countries (Samili, 1985 apud
Marques, 1999, p7). Many academics and universities have already engage in decidedly entrepreneurial
action, building companies with innovative ideas and inventions of their own laboratories or in the form of
incubators, inviting companies into the universities. This creates a cycle of innovation and development.
Within the productive sector, innovation is important since it allows the industry accessing new markets,
increasing revenues, realize and improving partnerships, obtaining new knowledge and adding even more
value to their brands. Ascending the level of analysis, innovation allows increasing the level of
employment and income, promoting economic growth and development. Therefore, technological
innovation and its transfer are crucial factors for economic development, as it brings gains in
competitiveness, improving productivity and employment and, consequently generating wealth for the
economy.
3. Transference of Technology
The process of innovation is characterized by the transference of knowledge among the agents. According
to Shumpeter (1982 apud Fayet 2010), the term innovation was adopted to promote an interaction between
the productive sector and the research and knowledge fields. According to Ribeiro (2001), innovation in
general corresponds to the “introduction of a new knowledge or new combinations of existent knowledge.
The technological innovation, in turn, refers to new products and/or production processes and
improvements in existing products and/or processes”. Joseph Schumpeter considers that the innovation
creates a rupture in the economic system, inside the companies, revolutionizing the productive structures
and creating sources of differentiation to the companies (KUPFER, 2002 apud SCHUMPETER.1912).
In order to measure the effect of the innovation in the economy, it’s necessary to evaluate several related
subjects quantitatively. One of them is the technological invention, measured by the number of records of
patents. To describe the innovation process, various indexes were created, but due to asymmetric
information (indexes were done by using some proxys) indexes composed by several indicators were
created, according to what was discussed in Furtado and Queiroz. The construction of these innovation
indicators is subdivided in input and product indicators. The input indicators, according to the authors,
177 correspond to costs in research andd developmennt. Accordingg to OCDE, thhese activities include the basic
research, the applied research
r
and the experim
mental developpment. The product
p
indiccators are, inn turn,
difficult to
t measure, because
b
by having
h
as reeference the products andd services in developmennt and
commerciialized, the on
nly indicator that
t testifies if
i there actuallly is an innovvation is the deposit
d
and reegistry
of patent.
The technnological transsference has become
b
a dettermining facttor to the economic develoopment and has
h not
only caugght the academ
micians’ attention, but alsso from goveernmental ageents and busiinessmen. Beessand
and Rushh (1993 apud
d França, 20001) define trransference of
o technologyy as a groupp of processees and
activities in which tecchnology is passed
p
from one
o user to another,
a
incoorporated in new
n
processees and
products, or disembodiied in shapes such as know
wledge, skills and legal rights. This wayy, the technoloogical
transferennce process caan be understtood as a trannsfer of intelleectual propertty, where the results comee from
applied reesearches and
d experimenttal developm
ments perform
med by an edducation/research institutiion or
companiess, to the indu
ustrial and coommercial secctors. The exchange of infformation bettween these agents
a
makes technological in
nnovation andd ideas be bornn.
4. Triplle Helix an
nd the Incubators
The interaaction betweeen university, government,, and industryy, is a theme that can be based
b
on studies by
Henry Etzzkowitz, one of the authors who have excelled
e
in the production of this themee. According to the
author, as known triplee helix or tripple helix, it iss the model inn which eachh environmentt is affected by
b the
other.
Figure 1 - Triple
T
Helix Model
M
of
Univeersity-Industtry –Governm
ment relation
ns
Souurce: Etzkowittz and Leydessdorff (2009)
s
According to Maarques
In the Figgure 1 can bee seen the moodel of interaaction betweeen the three spheres.
(2007), eaach institution
n has its pow
wers. The prodduction comppanies are parrt of the markket knowledgge and
demand for
fo new creatiions. The universities, in turn, hold aw
waiting oppoortunities to use
u knowledgge and
development of new experiences.
e
W
Within
univeersities, there are experim
ments that cann escape/evadde the
expected result.
r
This reequires resouurces availablee for investm
ment in researcch, because have
h
risk and longterm returrn. The goverrnment wouldd be part of thhat tripod prooviding suppoort, political or
o financial, for
f the
viability of
o these projeccts.
Some of thhe mechanism
ms for the reaalization of teechnology trannsfer and inteeraction betweeen companiees and
universitiees are incubaators, organizations that promote inteeraction amoong agents, promoting
p
sccience,
178 technology and innovation, facilitating the performance of incubated companies and promoting greater
contact with formal and informal networks legal information, economic or technological. Facilitate
transactions with public or private institutions to support entrepreneurship and innovation, and
entrepreneurs are involved in teaching or research institutions that can provide qualified professionals for
their companies. Therefore the role of business incubators is to provide support the development of new
ventures and provide subsidized form of appropriate infrastructure and technical and administrative
services for the realization of their projects, taking advantage of scientific knowledge and professional
entrepreneurs, in addition to being an intermediary between companies and public institutions and private
fomentation. Many academics and academies already engage in entrepreneurial action, building
companies with innovative ideas and inventions of their own laboratories or in the form of incubators,
inviting companies to within the universities. This creates a cycle of innovation and development
(PEREIRA, 2010, p. 69 apud RIBEIRO, 2001).
5. Methodology
The development of the study resorted to a descriptive and bibliographical research. According to Gil
(2008), the literature "is developed from material already prepared, consisting mainly of books and
scientific articles." The literature used covers topics about innovation, technology transfer, triple helix
(interaction between university, government and the productive sector) and business incubator.
Descriptive research, according to the author, "has as main objective the description of the characteristics
of a given population or phenomenon or establishment of relations between variables." For the elaboration
of this research, a questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions was applied to 19 companies linked
to Technological Incubator of Maringa. The questions are related to number of collaborators (partners,
employees, trainees and researchers), amount of investment, number of products developed and
developing, the extension of the market of the products and the type of interaction between companies and
academia. In this research, the company is the entrepreneur.
6. Results
The companies surveyed are micro and small enterprises newly created or with little operating time.
All are technology-based companies, however they are distributed in different areas, such as Agricultural
Technologies, Energy, Mechanical & Mechatronics, Textile & Design, New Materials, Information
Technology & Communications, Clean Technology, Biotechnology, Food, Personal Hygiene, Perfumes &
Cosmetics and Health. Altogether, there are 77 collaborators involved in these enterprises. It should be
highlighted that the most of the companies are in activity start and so they are in structuring process. Thus,
it is common to have people allocated in more than one activity. These companies have developed 49
products, all launched on the market and with great acceptance, and 34 are being developed, as shown in
Figure 2.
Figure 2 Numbers of Products Developed and Developing
Products developed
34
49
Source: Authors
179 Products under development
The market for products developed by companies is mostly national and international, as shown in Figure
3. These products feature highly innovative features and so become competitive, so get a very broad
market.
Figure 3 Market reach of products.
100%
50%
0%
International
National
Regional
Local
Market reach of products.
Source: Authors
The good acceptance of these products in the market is due to its innovative features, result of investment
in products development and the interaction between companies and academia. Inside the incubator,
companies get a space to develop their activities, supports, services and facilities they probably would not
find elsewhere. Thus, there is a saving costs and much of the investment goes to products development.
The investment made for products development exceed R$ 2,500,000.00. It should point out that the
companies linked to Maringa Technology Incubator have been covered by government financial resources
destined for the implementation of projects that create new products or significantly improved products
with technological innovation to micro and small enterprises that prove market impact. In relation to the
type of interaction between enterprises and academia, in 37% of the companies is through partnerships
with universities and research centers and 53% based on some knowledge acquired by employees during
their undergraduate or graduate and through partnership with researchers, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4 Type of Interaction between Enterprises and Academia
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
53%
37%
Partnership with Based on some research institutions knowledge acquired (universities, research during their centers)
undergraduate or graduate
53%
Partnership with researchers
Type of Interaction Between Enterprises and Academia
Source: Authors
7. Conclusion
180 The creation of new technologies within universities and research institutions and possible partnerships
with the productive sector are important for the development and growth of the country and contribute to
increased competitiveness in relation to developed countries. Investment in technological innovation
creates new products as well as the improvement of existing products and processes. For this, we need
mechanisms to further the process of technology transfer between academia and the productive sector, as
business incubators.
Through the results, it is evident that the incubators, such as technology-based incubators are
environments that facilitate the process of knowledge transfer. The results showed that the surveyed
companies have produced a large number of products, all with innovative features resulting from
investment in the development of these products and the partnership between companies and academia.
Due to innovative features of the products developed by companies, products reached a market nationally
and internationally, since they have competitive potential.
Thus, there are many positive externalities, such as the creation of employment and income. From the
aspects analyzed, it can be concluded that there is an interaction between the companies related to
Technology Incubator de Maringá, both academia and society, through the transfer of technology between
academia and the productive sector and the insertion of the products developed in the market.
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181 About the Author(s)
Fernanda Helen Mansano, Graduated in Economics from the State University of Maringá
(2009). Currently is working at Technology Incubator of Maringá. Participated of Research
Projects, Economic Seminars and has experience in large companies in the retail and
commercial.
Leonardo da Costa Urt, Undergraduate in Economics, State University of Maringa, Brazil.
Currently is working at Technology Incubator of Maringá.
Marcelo Farid Pereira, Graduate in Economics from the State University of Maringá
(1991), master's in Production Engineering from Universidade Federal de Santa
Catarina (1995) and Ph.d. in Production Engineering from Universidade Federal de
Santa Catarina (1999). Has experience in Economy, focusing on Technological
Changes, acting on the following subjects: productivity, agricultural sector, technologybased enterprises, entrepreneurship and regional development.
Contact Information
Fernanda Helen Mansano, Graduated in Economics at State University of Maringá, Brazil. Ruas das Rosas,
496 – Jd. Maravilha. Maringa, PR, Brazil. Post code 87080-350; Telephone number +55 44 9982-2277.
E-mail: [email protected]
Leonardo da Costa Urt, Undergraduate in Economics at State University of Maringa, Brazil. Rua
Bragança, 520, Ap. 502 – Zona 7. Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Post Code: 87020-220, Telephone number
+55 44 9966-9125. E-mail: [email protected]
Marcelo Farid Pereira, Adjunct Professor at the State University of Maringá, Brazil. Avenida Colombo,
5790 – Jd. Universitário, Bloco C34. Maringá, PR, Brazil. Post code: 87020-900; Telephone number: +55
44 3011-4905 E-mail: [email protected].
182