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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the patenting activity of the Brazilian academic sector vis-à-vis the domestic business sector, taking into account the recent evolution of Brazil’s industrial policies. The paper differentiates between “university academic patents”, which are owned by the universities, and “non-university academic patents”, which despite being invented by academic staff are not owned by the universities.

The authors’ cross-checked information regarding the names of all inventors with Brazilian addresses in PCT patent applications in the Espacenet database with the names of researchers in the CVs available on the Lattes Platform of CNPq. The analysis specifically focussed on patent applications published in the PCT with Brazilian priority for the 2002-2012 period.

It was found that the Brazilian academic patents concentrate on science-based technology areas, especially in the Pharma Biotechnology domain. For a total of 466 patent applications with Brazilian priority in this field, 233 have academic inventors. Of those 233 academic applications, 66.1 per cent have universities as their owners, while the remaining 33.9 per cent are not owned by universities. Further, it was found that there are more Brazilian academic patents in the biotechnology sub-domain than those filed by the business sector.

This research was based on the intersection of patent databases and the content available on the official curriculum base of Brazil (Lattes Platform, CNPq). Once the curricula information are voluntary, there are risks inherent reliability of this information.

This study allows us to identify more accurately which is the effective role of the Brazilian Academy in patents generation, revealing that a significant unaccounted deposits with personal inventors or companies’ ownership really have a academic contribution.

This paper shows that the academic sector plays a key role in Brazil’s international patenting activity, particularly in science-intensive technology domains, and it highlights the specific contribution of academic patents not owned by universities.

Este trabalho apresenta a análise da atividade de patenteamento do setor acadêmico brasileiro considerando a recente evolução das políticas de promoção da inovação no Brasil. O artigo tem como base a diferenciação necessária entre “patentes acadêmicas universitárias”, que são patentes/depósitos cujos requerentes são as universidades, e as “patentes acadêmicas não-universitárias” que, apesar de ser inventadas por docentes da academia, não têm as universidades como requerentes dos depósitos.

Foram cruzadas informações de todos os inventores constantes nos pedidos de patentes de origem brasileira realizados pela via PCT, com os nomes dos pesquisadores com currículos disponíveis na Plataforma Lattes do CNPq. A análise incidiu sobre pedidos de patentes publicado na via do PCT com prioridade brasileira para o período 2002-2012 contidos no banco de dados do Espacenet.

Verificou-se que as patentes acadêmicas brasileiras se concentram em áreas mais tecnológicas, especialmente no domínio de Farmácia-Biotecnologia. Para um total de 466 pedidos de patentes com prioridade brasileiros neste setor, 233 tinham inventores acadêmicos. Destes 233 pedidos acadêmicos, 66.1% têm suas universidades como titulares ou co-titulares, enquanto os restantes 33.9% não são de propriedade das universidades. Verificou-se ainda que existem mais patentes no sub-domínio de biotecnologia depositadas pelo setor acadêmico brasileiro do que aquelas requeridas pelo setor empresarial privado.

Neste artigo, demonstrou que a academia desempenha um papel ainda mais expressivo na atividade de patenteamento internacional do Brasil, particularmente em domínios de tecnologia intensivos em ciência, e destaca a contribuição específica das “patentes acadêmicas não-universitárias”, que possuem origem lastreada pelos pesquisadores da academia.

The aim of this paper is to examine the factors that influeunce the ability of Mexican public universities to generate patents. Academic patents are deserving of increasing interest as channels for the transfer of knowledge from universities to firms.

A review of the international literature on the main factors that explain the production of patents was undertaken. On the basis of this information, a database for 80 Mexican universities was built and a model estimated. This model has three components: the institutional characteristics of the universities, the presence of a technology transfer office, and the socioeconomic environment.

The results from the econometric analysis show the positive effects that universities' size and scientific quality, the existence of a technology transfer office, and the socioeconomic environment have on the applications for patents. These results show the complexity of academic patents as a channel for transferring knowledge and suggest the convenience of some degree of specialization and differentiation between universities.

The existing analyses for the USA and some European countries show that the institutional framework and the individual characteristics of the universities are relevant factors in the production of academic patents. The quantitative analysis carried out in this paper for a Latin-American country, with different characteristics from the USA and Europe, allows a better understanding of academic patenting and has implications for the design of innovation policies.

El objetivo de este artículo es examinar los factores que influyen en la capacidad de las universidades públicas mexicanas para generar patentes. Las patentes académicas están recibiendo una atención creciente como vía de transferencia de conocimientos desde las universidades a las empresas.

A partir de la revisión de la literatura internacional sobre los principales factores que explican la producción de patentes se ha construido una base de datos para 80 universidades mexicanas y se ha estimado un modelo con tres componentes: a) características institucionales de las universidades, b) presencia de una oficina de transferencia de tecnología y c) nivel socioeconómico del entorno.

Los resultados del análisis econométrico muestran los efectos positivos que el tamaño y calidad científica de la universidad, la existencia de una oficina de transferencia de tecnología y el nivel socioeconómico del entorno tienen sobre la solicitud de patentes. Estos resultados muestran la complejidad del uso de las patentes académicas como vía de transferencia de conocimientos y sugieren la conveniencia de cierta especialización y diferenciación en las instituciones universitarias.

Los estudios existentes para Estados Unidos y algunos países europeos muestran que el marco institucional y las características individuales de las universidades son relevantes en la producción de patentes académicas. El análisis cuantitativo realizado en este artículo para un país latinoamericano, con características diferentes a Estados Unidos y Europa, permite ampliar el conocimiento sobre las patentes académicas y tiene implicaciones para el diseño de las políticas de innovación.

This issue sees the Emerald Group join the journal as a partner and includes five papers about innovation and two general pieces. The introduction to the theme of innovation reviews international and Latin American literature and analyzes Latin American patents in the USA. There is a study of university patents in Mexico from 1995 to 2009, as well as a case study of two new technology companies in Brazil and the positive role played in their development by a family conglomerate which filled the institutional voids around them. A data analysis is conducted on the dissemination of eight electronic products in the nine largest Latin American countries, and econometric studies look at agro‐industrial marketing in Chile. Another paper examines the effect of adopting new international accounting laws (IFRS) on the quality of information provided by companies in the Chilean market. Finally, the paper examines the influence of managerial perceptions on the strategic responses adopted by four Colombian organizations when facing a political crisis. This edition includes contributions from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Nicaragua and the UK.

En este número el Grupo Editorial Emerald ha ingresado como socio a la revista. Se publican cinco artículos sobre innovación, más dos artículos de índole general. El artículo de introducción a innovaciones revisa la literatura internacional y latinoamericana y hace un análisis de las patentes latinoamericanas en Estados Unidos. Se presenta un estudio sobre las patentes universitarias en México 1995‐2009. Se estudian dos casos de nuevas empresas tecnológicas en Brasil, y el positivo papel que tuvo para su desarrollo un conglomerado familiar que compensó los vacíos institucionales del entorno. Se analizan los datos sobre la difusión de ocho productos electrónicos en los nueve mayores países latinoamericanos. Se realizan estudios econométricos sobre las innovaciones en mercadeo de negocios agroindustriales en Chile. Otro artículo trabaja el efecto de adoptar las nuevas normas contables internacionales (NIIF o IFRS) en la calidad de la información que emiten las empresas en el mercado chileno. Finalmente, un artículo estudia la influencia de la percepción gerencial sobre las respuestas estratégicas adoptadas por cuatro empresas colombianas ante una crisis política. Este número contiene contribuciones provenientes de Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, España, México, Nicaragua y Reino Unido.

The purpose of this article is to summarize the basic literature and concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship, emphasizing the relevant studies for Latin America. The authors aim to assess the role of Latin America in the world innovative activity utilizing the production of USPTO patents.

To achieve the first objective, the authors review and summarize the relevant literature for innovation and entrepreneurship in Latin America. They also introduce each of the papers included in the current special issue of Academia. To achieve the second objective, the authors use the production of USPTO patents by Latin American residents, and examine those levels to the rest of the world.

The authors find Latin America to be a marginal contributor to the world innovative activity. Although the region represented 8.7 per cent of world GDP in 2011, it only generated 0.19 per cent of the world patents registered at the USPTO between 2008 and 2012, and only 0.17 per cent of all patents registered since 1976. However, countries such as Costa Rica and Uruguay have larger levels of patent production by 100,000 inhabitants with 7.05 and 4.72 for 1976-2012.

This introduction introduces work that continues the intense discussion on innovation and entrepreneurship in Latin America. It is to the extent of the authors' knowledge, one of the first attempts to measure the level of innovation at the regional level, and compare the performance of different countries. This special edition has implications for individuals, firms and governments striving to introduce new products, services and processes in a region that has historically confronted important barriers to innovation.

En esta introducción presentamos algunos conceptos básicos sobre innovación y empresariado, y hacemos énfasis en la literatura que ha estudiado estos fenómenos en América Latina. Evaluamos, además, el papel de América Latina en la actividad innovadora mundial, utilizando la producción de patentes registradas en la Oficina de Patentes y Marcas de Estados Unidos (USPTO), y encontramos que América Latina desempeña un papel marginal con relación a otros centros mundiales de innovación. Finalmente, se presentan los artículos de este número de la revista Academia. Esta edición especial tiene implicaciones prácticas para individuos, empresas y gobiernos, que quieran introducir nuevos productos, servicios, y procesos desde una región que históricamente ha tenido que enfrentar barreras a la innovación.