ABSTRACT: Companies develop strategies to describe where they want to go and how they will reach their destination. Business strategies are useful but may not be sufficiently detailed for areas of high importance, such as technology and innovation. In this paper we examined the effort of building a technology roadmap with an early growth stage company located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Roadmaps are easy to design yet flexible tools that can allow decision makers to explore a myriad of possible strategies. However, the challenges ahead for new companies facing uncertain growth scenarios demand that framework conditions be adequately addressed, and that innovation culture and technology management tools are integrated with the technology roadmapping strategy. Based on the empirical evidence collected from the startup studied, along with the literature and interviews with key stakeholders, this paper developed a pathway to support technology and innovation plans for startups going through similar growth stages and provides directions for future research in the area, given the scarcity of evidence available of new high-tech companies' efforts in planning and developing new products

Resumo: Este estudo propõe um modelo para apoiar o processo decisório na seleção de propostas de projetos de pesquisa científica em uma instituição de ensino e pesquisa. Na construção do modelo foi utilizado o método Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), combinando técnicas de mensuração relativa e absoluta. Tal combinação tornou possível tratar um grande número de projetos e mensurar, mais facilmente, todas as variáveis do problema de seleção. Como procedimento de pesquisa utilizou-se o estudo de caso, baseando-se em pesquisa exploratória, seguida de uma abordagem de modelagem quantitativa. Adicionalmente, empregaram-se pesquisa documental e entrevistas não estruturadas, a fim de compreender melhor o contexto da pesquisa e os objetivos institucionais e propor adaptações mais consistentes nos critérios de seleção de projetos de solicitação de bolsas e recursos para pesquisa na instituição. Este estudo contribui para a escolha de propostas de projetos de pesquisa mais aderentes aos objetivos institucionais, permitindo que gestores de instituições de ensino lidem com o problema de alocação de recursos limitados face o grande número de demandantes de projetos.

Abstract: This paper proposes a model to support decisions in scientific-research project portfolio selection in an educational institution. We used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for development of this model, combining relative and absolute measurement techniques. That combination allowed us to handle a large number of projects and to measure, in an easier way, all variables in the selection. Our research procedure was a case study based on exploratory research and followed by a quantitative modeling approach. Additionally, we performed documental research and conducted non-structured interviews to better understand the research setting and institutional goals. This contributes to propose a more consistent tailoring grant-request and research-funding project selection criteria. This paper contributes to sort out research project proposals that best adhered to the organization's goals, allowing educational-organization managers to handle the problem of limited-resource allocation in the context of large number of project requests.

O artigo explora o tema do financiamento do esforço de inovação das empresas por meio de parcerias com institutos de ciência e tecnologia, os quais, juntos, formam um importante indutor de políticas de fomento à inovação. No caso brasileiro, a combinação dos recursos de fomento federais e estaduais e a infraestrutura montada nas ICTs nas últimas décadas participam na consolidação desse esforço. O artigo traz reflexões sobre a interação universidade-empresa para a inovação a partir de uma survey realizada junto a ICTs e empresas participantes de um programa nacional de fomento entre 2002 e 2007, intitulado Coopera. Este artigo busca elucidar esses e outros aspectos da natureza da relação criada pelo Coopera. Embora se reconheçam os avanços alcançados, a análise sugere que o programa ainda não logrou estabelecer a qualidade e a periodicidade do relacionamento de que depende o esforço continuado de inovação no meio empresarial brasileiro.

The paper analyses the financing of the efforts of firms to innovate through partnerships with universities and research centers, which constitute an important means of fostering innovation. In the Brazilian case, the combination of the resources of federal and state agencies and the universities' infrastructure, consolidated in recent decades, acts as a link to enhance this effort. This study examines university - industry interaction in pursuit of innovation using the results of a survey carried out among universities and firms that participated in a national program called COOPERA between 2002 and 2007. This study explores several aspects of the nature of the relationship created by the COOPERA innovation promotion instrument. While progress has been made, the analysis results suggest that the program has not yet succeeded in establishing the quality and frequency of relationships that depend on the continued support of innovation efforts by Brazilian firms.