Open-source hardware as a model of technological innovation and academic entrepreneurship

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to argue in favor of the open hardware philosophy (open-source hardware – OSH) as a technological innovation and academic entrepreneurshipmodel in Brazil.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>This argument is based on three pillars. The first one refers to a bibliographic review of theoretical frameworks related to academic entrepreneurship and technological innovation to emphasize the disruptive innovation capacity of academia. Second, a few elements related to the Brazilian political, economic and structural scenario, which entail a (more) favorable environment to technological innovation and academic entrepreneurship, is presented. Finally, concepts related to OSH and its business model are approached to demonstrate the facilitating effect toward the whole process.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>As a result of the argument made herein, it is possible to perceive the viability of the OSH model in terms of entrepreneurship and technological innovation in the academic sphere, and to perceive its benefits before social and economic needs in areas such as health and education.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title> <jats:p>There are no empirical or quantifiable data in the literature that enable comparison between OSH and traditional technological innovation models.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>The considerations on the philosophical value of OSH and its business models are scarcely explored in international literature. As far as we know, relating OSH to technological innovation entrepreneurship in the academic sphere, as well as its singularities in Brazil regarding the innovation national system and social and economic demands, is a unique approach in literature.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Open-source hardware to face COVID-19 pandemic: the need to do more and better

“…In line with previous suggestions, we also understand that the strategy to work around the limitations of the OSH paradigm is to do it more and better. Particularly, while some inventors and ingenious scientists may see the process of obtaining a certification from OSHWA as mere paperwork and/or a vanity corroboration of their research, we take it as an avenue for excellence, which is the fastest track to legal authorization, widespread dissemination, and even to profitable business (Cota et al 2020;Ferreira 2008;Pearce 2017). By abiding to the OSH best practices, authors maximize integrity, visibility, and high-fidelity reproductions of their solutions.…”

“…The benefits of adopting the OSH model for technological development and innovation, which can be easily extrapolated to a pandemic scenario, have been explored in several books and peer-reviewed publications (Gibb 2014;Pearce 2014;Cota et al 2020). Very briefly, opening the source of technological products immediately attracts qualified peer review which, by providing informed feedback, voluntarily contributes to their improvement and excellence (Gibb 2014).…”

Desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias da neuromodulação como alternativa para aperfeiçoamento e inserção no mercado de trabalho

“…Adentrar no mercado de trabalho para custear o curso de pós-graduação é uma opção para esses novos pesquisadores, alternativa na qual seu conhecimento científico pode ser considerado atrativo para empresa e ser vinculado a um produto (Forlini, et al 2019). A indústria de neurociências, em especial a de neuromodulação, é uma opção de campo de atuação no mercado de trabalho, que está em ampla expansão e em busca de candidatos que tenham um perfil profissional inovador, disponível para aprender e produzir (Cota, et al 2020).…”

The factors influencing technological entrepreneurship in nanotechnology businesses

“…Development and growth have always been the main focus of the policies and programs of different countries, and two critical ways to pursue it have been to provide optimal conditions for entrepreneurship as well as the development of technologies (Isenberg, 2011). Given that Technological entrepreneurship administrative enterprises can facilitate research and development in science and technology, it is likely to witness a shift within the legal context of novelty, science and technology; they can also reinforce the industry-university collaboration (Cota, Aguiar, de Souza Neto & Benegas, 2020). Moreover, such relationships might be regarded as central while improving organizations, developing social and economic foundations and transferring knowledge and innovation (Ribeiro & Nagano, 2018).…”