A interação das empresas minero-metalúrgicas com as universidades no Brasil

Abstract

The present dissertation presents the mining-metallurgical sector, as well as its interaction with Brazilian universities. This sector is very important for the Brazilian economy, representing in 2015, about 10.95% of the industrial GDP (IBGE, 2017). To understand it more effectively, an analysis of the Sectorial System of Innovation is made; approaching the technological knowledge and realm, actors and networks, and legislation and policies to leverage the sector. Therefore, from the 1990s, significant sectoral changes happened, with the privatization of the main companies and the strengthening of China as a trading partner to Brazil. As a result, there was a decline in the metallurgy sector, due to competition, and a boost in the mining sector, due to external demand. The aim of this work is to observe how the firm characteristics have influence in the interactions with the university. In order to reach it, a descriptive analysis of the CNPq Research Group Directory (DGP) and the Annual Social Information Relation (RAIS) microdata was made, referring to the years 2006 and 2016. Consequently, it was verified that the profile of mining-metallurgical interactions with the universities was having a greater relationship with engineering groups, as well as the use of forms of remuneration of financial resources transference, material inputs and the supply of scholarships. Furthermore, the mining-metallurgists are hiring more professionals who have masters and doctorates. Over time, companies begin to interact more often with universities and those with a higher level of employee education are more interactive. Subsequently, the methodology of canonical correlation analysis is used to understand the relationship between the company’s characteristics, like the degree of education of its employees and the size of the firm, and the interaction types, as well as the magnitude and representativeness of these variables within these groups. In this way, it is observed that the initial objectives of the main research institutes are being reached, as they contribute to qualified workforce, research, improvement and adaptation of technologies, projects and the promotion of the sector as a whole. Then, the long-term research became more significant over time, once there was an increase in the external competition and the companies are export-oriented. Through this, a greater interdependence between groups of variables is created, since there is a need for more qualified collaborators, who can establish a flow between the companies and their partners.