Technological transferring and the institutional framework of research organizations: Some international evidences

Since the early 1980´s a series of institutional changes were implemented in order to foster a higher rate of innovation in the productive sector based on knowledge developed in research institutes. In the U.S., the Bayh-Dole Act has given intellectual property of inventions to the executing institution (university or research institutes), even when the research project is financed with public resources. Bayh-Dole results led to the adoption of a similar model in European Community countries and Asia. The aim of this work is to analyze, comparatively, the dispositions of the Brazilian law of innovation vis-agrave-vis the regulations and practices of North American, European, South African and Austrilian research institutions. Visits were made to Business Technology Offices of foreign institutions and documents and publications of various organizations were examined in an attempt to identify a benchmark of best practices in technology transferring.