Incubadora de empresas e a flexibilização da universidade pública para o mercado: o Inova Metrópole na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (2013-2020)

Abstract

The primary objective of this doctoral thesis is to analyze Inova Metrópole, characterized as a Technology-Based Business Incubator linked to the Parque Metrópole Digital, which is part of the Instituto Metrópole Digital and, consequently, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. This analysis focuses on its actions related to Innovation and Academic Entrepreneurship. The goal is to understand how the public-private relationships within these institutions enhance the presence of the private sector within the Public University, thereby extending its influence into numerous internal processes, such as the adoption of corporate management practices, commercialization of intellectual assets for companies, or involvement in decision-making processes. Additionally, this work seeks to understand how international policies on Science, Technology, and Innovation influence academic entrepreneurship practices on a national level, highlighting the status of the country as economically dependent and subject to international parameters, recognizing that academic entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon and a direct tool of the current phase of neoliberalism. The philosophical approach adopted in this work is historical-dialectical materialism, a method aimed at understanding and interpreting the essence of the study object, going beyond pragmatic analyses of its apparent manifestations, and allowing for the observation of present contradictions and their mediation with concrete totality. The other technical procedures are based on bibliographic analysis of literature related to the topic and related fields, as well as documentary analysis of international and national documents that are guiding and deliberative for Science, Technology, and Innovation, and consequently, for academic entrepreneurship. In addition to these analyses, semi-structured interviews were conducted with agents involved in innovation and academic entrepreneurship practices, such as the UFRN Innovation Agency, management of the Parque Metrópole Digital and its incubator, and project management at the Instituto Metrópole Digital. These interviews provided insights and analyses of information not expressed in institutional documents, significantly contributing to the empirical analyses of this work. The research concluded that academic entrepreneurship and technology-based business incubators are not isolated practices focused solely on the Instituto Metrópole Digital, but are institutional policies of UFRN, outlined in the Institutional Development Plan and Management Plan. This underscores the importance of entrepreneurial and innovative practices for the current phase of the institution. It was also found that Inova Metrópole plays a significant role in the university entrepreneurship movement in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, serving as a prominent reference. This prominence can be justified by the dynamic of the academic unit where the business incubator is located, a department that prioritizes public-private partnerships in its various activities, enabling active involvement and participation of the private sector in these processes, including participation in deliberative councils, mapping and defining prices and values, as well as knowledge production and human capital formation. It was identified that academic entrepreneurship unfolds into new facets, such as cooperative perspectives and the establishment of capitalist relationships, such as spin-offs.