A gestão de investigação, desenvolvimento e inovação

: estudo comparativo de dois projetos com base nos referenciais normativos de certificação de Projetos IDI

Abstract

Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) are now priority subjects in any industrialized countryoperating in the global economy. Good ideas are not enough, one must be able to manage knowledgein a systematic and planned manner and turned into added value and thus create wealth. In followingEuropean Union policy, Portugal, has been developing instruments to support Research andInnovation, which are considered to be crucial to achieve sustainable development. InnovationManagement, although complex, is susceptible to being systemized and organized in ways that fulfilauditable requirements and, thus, to being certified. A set of Portuguese RDI Standards have beendrawn up with the aim of demystifying the RDI concept as something intangible. The model whichunderpins RDI Management System is compatible and aligned with other established systems,allowing its integration into a single system.This present study employs these Portuguese standards as the starting point to evaluate thecompetitive strengths and weaknesses associated with the management of two innovative R&Dprojects. One project was run in a research centre of a tertiary education institution and the other in aState Laboratory. To reach the goal, we proceeded to a case study based on structured interviewsand theoretical references, complemented by a SWOC analysis.The results obtained reinforce not only the need to consider the planning phase, but also the risksforeseen for the project which can affect, in a real way, the execution, the results, the duration and thecosts. Mitigation plans and action procedures are also relevant.From observations of the attitude found in both institutions studied, it could be concluded that externalfinancing sources themselves exert the necessary discipline to oblige the generation of project resultsand cost control. Even so, the value of the check-list of requisites became evident in the way it forcedthe establishment of formal practices for internal follow-up of key management requisites. Also isvaluable for certifying entities performing RDI Project Management certification. It was possible toidentify that the certification of RDI Projects gives credibility and transparency to the RDI outputs andallows the demonstration, both internally and externally (to the projects’ clients) of its effective RDIvalue, by evaluating the planned budget and the effective costs (giving substance to the evaluation ofthe investment suitability). The research carried out confirmed that the principles inherent in theQuality Management process permit the strengthening of innovative practices and that certifying theInnovation Management System, which did not affect creativity, can be a relevant step in theconsolidation of these practices. It was concluded that the potential for innovation would be greatlyenhanced when organizations establish a culture of continuous improvement, involving all employeesin the pursuit of being creative in the endeavour.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Timothy Alun Hogg (Supervisor) & Manuel Joaquim de Azevedo Ramos (Co-Supervisor)