Transferência de tecnologia: motivações, desafios, mecanismos e sistemas

Abstract

Although Technology Transfer consists on a commercial practice in several areas in the industry world, its dynamics complexity is surrounded by dilemmas concerned to its effectiveness. Global competition no longer divides the World between the ideological frontiers of the Postwars decades, but between the technologically included and excluded nations. In that sense, the debate over to what extent one technology can be transferable was the pivot that motivated this report. In some industries, such as the defense industry, procurement involves very high costs and long-term projects, and a relevant amount of defense sector systems and technologies can only be produced domestically through Technology Transfer. This need given, the relevance of this work consists on building a pragmatic perspective from the process, where the focus was on the activities ‘dynamics analysis, and not in the ideological debate imbroglio among political scientists, despites the crucial importance of its depthness. The purpose of this report, therefore, was to develop practical suggestions for different managers for a clearer goal perspective, and how the Technology Transfer work can be done on a daily basis, having as background the international literature and Submarine Development Program of the Brazilian Navy (PROSUB) experience. The methodology used was comparative research and case study. Firstly, it was sought to explore the academic literature to compare the conceptual visions and mechanisms, as well as to understand the historical context in which Technology Transfer took place. Secondly, Everett Rogers’s Knowledge Transfer system model, which address a combination of centralized and de-centralized knowledge diffusion systems, is addressed. Thirdly, an analysis of three different case studies was made from a comparative perspective with the elements identified in the first and second parts. Fourthly, international experiences of major Technology Transfer projects are explored, using the defense industry in the submarine segment as base; with PROSUB as case, with France as the Technology Transferer in the Brazilian project. Fifthly, structured case study interviews were carried out as technical procedure, through applying a sample of the Technology Transfer system that took place in PROSUB; with the purpose to shed a light in the Brazilian experience over the first, second and third parts verifications. The results indicated that PROSUB applies the system aligned with Everett Rogers ‘conceptual model. It is concluded that technology absorption should be the ultimate goal of the receiver with the transfer; facilitated by combined centralized and decentralized diffusions; with contract elaboration associated with the life cycle stage to be hired, suggestively reduces the risks of more technical nature concerned to the transferability of technology.