How can the Brazilian industry boost competitiveness through technological innovation? This question was addressed by an unprecedented research project recently concluded under the Research Program on Technological Learning and Industrial Innovation in Brazil of FGV’s Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (EBAPE).

The research canvassed the relationship between technological capability accumulation processes, its primary sources (technological learning mechanisms), and its impacts over competitiveness (productivity and engagement in the global market). These issues were surveyed among companies from five major industries in Brazil’s economy: pulp and paper, sugar-energy, mining, steelworks, and oil & gas.

In addition to employing innovative methodologies, the research project also featured direct interactions with over 100 stakeholders from the industry (managers, engineers, and researchers), government, academia, and analysts, among other players, since its onset. These interactions linked the research to actual pressing problems and issues in the industry, further increasing its relevance and impact.

Held between March 2015 and March 2017, the research project was coordinated by professor Paulo N. Figueiredo (EBAPE) and Maurício Canedo Pinheiro (Brazilian Institute of Economics - FGV IBRE), unveiling new evidence and explanations on variations among companies in the same industry and among technology areas within the same company, in terms of accumulating technological capabilities, its sources and impacts on competitiveness. Research analyses and results can be used as potential input for decision-makers in efforts to leverage the competitiveness of Brazilian industry.

The project was funded by FGV’s Knowledge and Applied Research Network, supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CNPq). The broad range of byproducts generated by the research (working papers, policy briefs and videos) are available via the Digital Library. 

In the video below, professor Paulo Figueiredo talks about the research (in Portuguese):