University-industry interaction for innovation and a technology transfer

Abstract

Universities have in society, the commitment for development of teaching, research and extension. These institutions hold scientific knowledge, researchers and structure that can contribute to the evolution of the techniques applied in the productive sector. On the other side, Companies have as main objective to reach existing demands in the consumer market though innovation and implementation of new ideas. The university-industry interaction can lead to new methods and improvements in products and processes, benefiting those involved. In Santa Maria/RS, there is a favorable environment for this kind of interaction. Some initiatives have been promoted by the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), as example, the Technology Incubator of Santa Maria (ITSM). The aim of this work is to analyze the main factors that motivate the relationship university-company, the main barriers and opportunities generated from this interaction. For the study used an exploratory research in which five people were interviewed of the university and incubated two enterprises.