O desenvolvimento da capacidade absortiva em projetos tecnológicos entre universidade e empresa: um estudo de caso da cooperação UNISINOS - HT Micron

Abstract

The current economic paradigm is closely associated with the dynamics of technological development. Thus, the activities of P & D acquire a leading role in this context, both for the performance of firms, and to the macroeconomic development of regions and countries. An increasingly common strategy adopted by companies as a way to operationalize their research is to form collaborative partnerships with universities and research centers. An initiative that is within this context is the agreement signed by UNISINOS and HT Micron with a view of developing a scientific-technological infrastructure intended for semiconductor encapsulation. However, because of not having a scientific tradition in this field, a challenge imposed to this university is developing its capacity to absorb knowledge regarding this technology. Thus, the main objective of this thesis is to explain the process of the absorptive capacity development for a university in the context of a collaborative project of a technological nature. The research is based on the theoretical line which argues that the process of developing the absorptive capacity is linked to, on the one hand, the influence exerted by the determinants of this capacity and, on the other hand, the type of knowledge to be acquired. The research strategy used was a single case study where the data was obtained qualitatively through semi-structured interviews and secondary sources that were consulted. The results from the study suggest that the absorptive capacity of the UNISINOS can be improved through actions that influence the initial base of knowledge related to the project, the human resources linked to this knowledge, the organizational structure and inter-organizational relationships that can foster this learning. It also concluded that the initial stages of the project, which involving technologies ready to be used, require that the actions taken are timely, enabling quick access to external knowledge. Having the posterior phases, which include development of new knowledge, demand measures whose results are generated over time, and thus build an absorption capacity capable of providing the university with more elaborate knowledge.