Addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development requires global cooperation, support structures, and new governance models to integrate diverse initiatives and achieve massive, open exchange of data, tools, and technology. The traditional paradigm of sharing scientific knowledge through publications is not sufficient to meet contemporary demands that require not only the results but also data, knowledge, and skills to analyze the data. E-infrastructures are key in facilitating access to data and providing the framework for collaboration. Here we discuss the importance of e-infrastructures of public interest and the lack of long-term funding policies. We present the example of Brazil’s speciesLink network, an e-infrastructure that provides free and open access to biodiversity primary data and associated tools. SpeciesLink currently integrates 382 datasets from 135 national institutions and 13 institutions from abroad, openly sharing ~7.4 million records, 94% of which are associated to voucher specimens. Just as important as the data is the network of data providers and users. In 2014, more than 95% of its users were from Brazil, demonstrating the importance of local e-infrastructures in enabling and promoting local use of biodiversity data and knowledge. From the outset, speciesLink has been sustained through project-based funding, normally public grants for 2–4-year periods. In between projects, there are short-term crises in trying to keep the system operational, a fact that has also been observed in global biodiversity portals, as well as in social and physical sciences platforms and even in computing services portals. In the last decade, the open access movement propelled the development of many web platforms for sharing data. Adequate policies unfortunately did not follow the same tempo, and now many initiatives may perish.
A biodiversidade tem sido apontada como um elemento de importância estratégica devido, entre outros fatores, ao seu potencial como fornecedora de matéria-prima para diversos setores da economia. Diante deste quadro, mas também do de destruição deste patrimônio, têm se inserido muitas das atuais estratégias de empresas, as quais vêm procurando acompanhar e aproveitar o desenvolvimento de novas oportunidades tecnológicas abertas pelos mercados de produtos obtidos de forma ambientalmente responsável. A incorporação de modelos sustentáveis de uso dos recursos é, portanto, vista como um diferencial capaz de gerar vantagens competitivas. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho apresenta e discute de que forma algumas empresas brasileiras vêm utilizando em suas estratégias competitivas o potencial da biodiversidade como forma de criar e/ou de aproveitar novas oportunidades e explorar novos nichos de mercado, apontando as principais vantagens e limitações encontradas neste tipo de estratégia. Para tanto, traz uma análise dos casos de quatro empresas nacionais atuantes no mercado de produtos obtidos de forma sustentável nos segmentos de fitoterápicos, cosméticos, extratos naturais e de manejo florestal. Parece claro que a incorporação dos preceitos do desenvolvimento sustentável no uso da biodiversidade é uma tendência que vem se fortalecendo, principalmente em setores altamente dependentes de matéria-prima advinda da biodiversidade. Neste contexto, destaca-se a importância da geração de inovações para atender à demanda por novas práticas e tecnologias, assim como da conformação de um ambiente institucional capaz de estimular a incorporação da variável ambiental por todo o setor produtivo.
Evaluation of research results and impacts is a topic of growing interest to public and private organizations worldwide. Indeed, it can be said that evaluation initiatives are a top priority for many research and development institutions if they are to assure social legitimation.The following general principles are important to an understanding of the evaluation universe:
This paper analyzes trends in the evolution of public research organizations (PROs) with special emphasis on the Brazilian case. Given the central role in global competitiveness played by policies of fostering innovation, PROs are increasingly stimulated to restructure themselves in order to participate in the innovation process. This is a global phenomenon but its specific characteristics differ between countries. The formats and contents of PROs in Brazil have changed significantly in the last 15 years. Three main trajectories can be identified for Brazilian institutions: path finders (those that have adapted their original paths to the innovation perspective), path founders (those that have had to construct new paths), and path losers (those that have lost their original paths and have not found another).
RESUMOOs últimos anos têm sido marcados por diversas mudanças na organização da pesquisa agrícola. Neste novo momento, as Instituições Públicas de Pesquisa Agrícola (IPPAs) estão perdendo o espaço ocupado durante a Revolução Verde. Atualmente, em diversos países do mundo, as empresas transnacionais têm sido as principais executoras de pesquisas sobre biotecnologia agrícola e, conseqüentemente, têm ampliado sua participação no mercado de sementes de importantes culturas agríco-las. Porém, entende-se que sem o fortalecimento das instituições de pesquisa locais, os países em desenvolvimento podem vir a ser meros receptores passivos de tecnologias desenvolvidas por tais empresas, não aproveitando as oportunidades a serem exploradas no campo da biotecnologia e não conseguindo se contrapor às estratégias das Revista Brasileira de Inovação, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 6 (1), p. 87-121, janeiro/junho 2007 87 * Os autores agradecem a leitura atenta e os comentários dos pareceristas anônimos, os quais, acredita-se, permitiram maior clareza ao artigo.
The arrangement of different research institutions and partners, including public funding agencies, is mandatory to address the current science, technology and innovation challenges. The access and maintenance of research collaboration networks require high level of competence and efficiency by the organizations. The multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research projects require management and administrative activities to achieve project goals in the expected time and cost, and the Research Administration (RA) professionals can be an important facilitator in the implementation of a governance strategy. The two case studies presented in this article illustrates the creation of RA institutional elements in Brazil that is evidence of the willingness to face the bureaucracy and practical consequences of the disconnection of science, technology and innovation policy actors. The searching for more efficiency and impacting results is directly related to the bureaucracy and transaction costs minimization and the maturity of the STI institutional and governance structure.
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