Professional Master’s Program in Biotechnology and Innovation Management: The Triple Helix in movement and knowledge generation

Abstract

This paper analyses evidence of innovation in the joint work of a company, a university and government in creating a professional Master’s degree program in Biotechnology and Innovation Management at the Centro Universitário de Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It presents a new perspective by combining two fields of knowledge: biotechnology and innovation management. The conceptual scheme of Triple Helix spaces is still not well analyzed from an empirical viewpoint. This paper identifies the development of knowledge, consensus and innovation spaces through an examination of this professional Master’s course. A qualitative approach was used for the conducting of 20 semi-structured interviews with representatives of the Triple Helix: two directors of Embrapa, a Brazilian agriculture and livestock research company; the President of FAPEMIG, the Minas Gerais Research Support Foundation; nine teachers; and eight students. In addition, data were analyzed from the databases of CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). The results show that the proximity between the knowledge areas of biotechnology and innovation management strengthened this new program, created only 7 years ago, which has already impacted socio-economic regional development.

Keywords

Innovation triple helix professional master’s biotechnology

The number of professional Master’s programs (PMPs) in Brazil has grown in the last decade in support of companies needing access to academic research and the resulting new knowledge. The development of PMPs in Brazil follows a history of “opposition and distrust from the academic community” (Silva, 2017: p. 714). Much effort has been required to demonstrate the similarities and differences between professional and academic Master’s programs, emphasizing the privileged space of research in the PMP qualification, which focuses more on practical issues and on the current needs of companies (Silva, 2017).

In order to better understand the socio-economic effects of a Master’s program, this paper presents the results of the creation of a professional Master’s degree program in Biotechnology and Innovation Management at the Centro Universitário de Sete Lagoas (UNIFEMM). The program resulted from a partnership between Embrapa Milho e Sorgo (a Brazilian agriculture and livestock research company) and FAPEMIG (the Minas Gerais Research Support Foundation), following the Triple Helix model.

Under this program, UNIFEMM launched its first stricto sensu post-graduation initiative. UNIFEMM is a nonprofit educational institution maintained by the Monsenhor Messias Educational Foundation – the FEMM – headquartered in the city of Sete Lagoas. Although geographically close to Belo Horizonte, the state capital, by offering programs in different fields of qualification UNIFEMM has tried to meet the demands of a city that has been going through significant economic, social and political expansion since the 1960s, when Brasília, the federal capital, and the BR040 Highway, which runs through Sete Lagoas, were built, bringing more industrial, cultural and political activity. Sete Lagoas currently hosts important organizations such as AmBev, Iveco-Fiat, Elma Chips, Bombril, Sada Forjas, Itambé and others, in addition to several mining companies, an important sector for the local economy, and there are many farmers in the region.

In general, the development of UNIFEMM followed the regional economic and social growth diversification by incorporating areas that had not previously been included in the process. Concurrently, the number of Master’s and doctoral programs was rapidly increasing in Brazil, as was the relevant academic production, which led UNIFEMM to implement its stricto sensu post-graduation initiative with a PMP.

UNIFEMM soon stood out as an influential model in the city and the region with the expansion of its offer of innovative courses and research projects favoring the intention of companies to implement partnerships with the university.

When the undergraduate program in environmental engineering was launched in 2000 the first partnership with Embrapa in Sete Lagoas was materialized under a formal contract. Its objective was to integrate the student professional qualification with important research advances to socialize knowledge and its application to the local reality. It is important to note that Embrapa offers guidance and supplies to farmers located in Sete Lagoas and other regions of the state of Minas Gerais.

In order to apply such knowledge, the Center for Regional Development (CDR) was created at UNIFEMM to identify the different regional social, economic and cultural environments, and to contribute to the establishment of strategic guidance for the creation and operation of a regional development plan (Report by the Dean Office of UFINEMM (2014)).

The CDR held discussions about territorial development and the strengthening of social intervention actions, always in partnership with public and private institutions. As part of the activities of the Center, UNIFEMM created the Nucleus of Studies in Science, Technology and Innovation (NCiTI) to develop research and launch projects on the assessment of social and economic impacts of programs and projects in the field of S, T&I Science, Technology and Innovation Report by the Dean Office of the Report by of Dean`s Office of the UFINEMM (2014). The research was led by UNIFEMM with the collaboration of Embrapa and FAPEMIG. Such initiatives strengthen the idea of creating a PMP based on the Triple Helix model, with university, company and government agencies working together.

The Triple Helix model construes the recent changes in society and in the economy based on knowledge and points to the new roles of the modern university (Etzkowitz, 2003a). In relation to the dynamics of the Triple Helix, Etzkowitz (2008) and Ranga and Etzkowitz (2010) show that the design of the relationships among the three institutional agents (university, companies and government) at the regional level emerges from a dynamic interaction of three spaces: the space of knowledge, the space of consensus and the space of innovation.

Ranga and Etzkowitz’s (2010, 2013) conceptual scheme has still been little analyzed from an empirical perspective. It helps in understanding and identifying the creation of knowledge, consensus and innovation spaces when creating an academic program.

From that standpoint, one objective of this paper is to analyze results of the cooperation between an educational institution, a company and a government institution to create a PMP in Biotechnology and Innovation Management. The program is intended to expand knowledge about the relevance of innovation spaces and student qualifications to the social, economic and technological development of the region.

This paper addresses the following research question:

• How does the PMP in Biotechnology and Innovation Management, created in accordance with the Triple Helix model, influence social, economic and technological development in a Brazilian country town in the state of Minas Gerais?

The next section reviews the theoretical constructs of the Triple Helix and PMPs. The third section presents the research methodology. The fourth section summarizes the results and discusses the contributions. Then, final considerations are presented and a research agenda is proposed on PMP challenges in developing countries.

Literature review

The biotechnology master’s degree program and the triple helix

The professional Master’s degree program is a modality of stricto sensu post-graduation and its objective is to qualify professionals through the study of techniques or subjects that meet the demands of the marketplace (Baeta et al., 2013; Baeta and Padrao, 2011; CAPES, 2014).

A review of the literature allows us to find empirical evidence of various factors impacting the implementation of PMPs in universities. The basic proposition for these programs is an emphasis on the integration of the academy with the marketplace to generate knowledge, innovation and development for the country. For Takahashi et al. (2010: p. 551), “the main objective of a professional Master’s degree program is to provide the interaction between theory and practice and generate new knowledge from the outcomes of this interaction”. “The final result expected (Takahashi et al., 2010: p. 551; Giacomazzo and Leite, 2014: p. 475).

It is also the intention of PMPs to move closer to local and/or regional productive sectors to increase the competitiveness and productivity of public or private companies and organizations (Baeta et al., 2018).

Sete Lagoas is located at a short distance (72 km) from the city of Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. The state contains the second largest biotechnological cluster of the bio-industry in the country (Baeta and Padrao, 2011; Botelho and Carrijo, 2006; Judice and Baeta, 2002). In this context, the PMP in Biotechnology and Innovation Management responds to the potential demand for knowledge and professionals from industries in the region. Since the middle of the 20th century, the bio-industry in the region has seen continuous growth:

“It is believed that among the most important conditions historically favoring the geographic establishment of the bio-industry in the state of Minas Gerais is the expertise offered by the local universities and research centers, mainly by the schools of medicine and the fields of chemistry and biochemistry aligned to bold entrepreneurial visions in search of market niches for human health products and services. Moreover, there was the addition of a special arrangement in Minas Gerais – institutional and facilitator – including the BIOMINAS Foundation, a sui generis institution at the time in the country. Together these local players managed to build an encouraging environment for the biotechnology and bio-industry businesses in the region. A typical example of this development was the launch of BIOBRÁS, the first Brazilian University spin off biotechnology company, a successful example of the pioneering spirit of Minas Gerais for the development of knowledge-based companies.” (Judice and Baeta, 2002: p. 161)

The development of biotechnology in Minas Gerais started in the 1970s with the creation of Biobrás and the Biominas Foundation (Biominas, 2007). From the 1990s, the sector grew significantly and, in that context, universities, research centers and industrial firms established partnerships for regional development:

“The metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte is considered the larger biotechnological cluster in Brazil operating competitively in the Latin American and other international markets in the fields of human health, animal health, the environment and agribusiness.” (Online, INDI-MG, 2020)”

Biotechnology is a relevant field of study for national and regional development. Only recently has it been recognized as a high-priority science, even though some biotechnological processes have been used since ancient times (Gusmao et al., 2017: p. 146).

Brazil has identified biotechnology as one of the strategic fields of knowledge that can contribute to technological and socio-economic development leading to the social well-being of the country. Biotechnology, as a multidisciplinary field that involves biology studies and technology disciplines, provides educational development for professionals to work in academic, scientific and technological careers. It is therefore essential to formulate strategies not only to create an adequate environment to strengthen the relationship between the academy and the industry, but also to change the Brazilian scientific capacity targeted at technological development and innovation in multiple economic fields.

With an integrated and strong joint effort by government, industry and academia, Brazil has the potential to become one of the leading countries in the fields of human and animal health, and agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology (CAPES field document, 2013).

The academic institutionalization by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) of biotechnology as an area of study in Brazil in 2008 aimed to promote technological development and the transfer of knowledge generated in universities and research institutes to the public and private industrial sectors and to increase the country’s competitiveness through the generation of innovative products and processes.

Sixty five programs were recommended, eight of which as PMPs. Three of those programs were offered by universities located in the Southeastern region of the country (Unimontes – Universidade Montes Claros, UNESP/Botucatu, UNIFEMM – Universidade Educacional Monsenhor Messias), three by Southern universites (UCS – Universidade Caxias do Sul, UP – Universidade Positivo, PUC/RS - Pontifícia Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul) and two by Northeastern universities (UNP – Universidade Potiguar and UECE - Universidade Estadual do Ceará.

The Master’s program discussed here is also innovative in that it articulates two areas of knowledge that are rarely associated: biotechnology, in the area of human sciences, and innovation management, in the area of applied social sciences (Baeta et al., 2013). In order to improve a professional qualification, the close connection of universities with companies, research institutes and financial and institutional agents becomes central, according to the Triple Helix model (Almeida, 2008).

According to Trierweille (2021), it is important to conceive of the university in terms of the society–companies–government relationship as a core strategy for its sustainable continuation over time, starting with efficiency in strategic and operational management. That efficiency will translate into obtaining more credit, clients, projects and political support in addition to partnerships for funding projects and conducting joint actions.

Similarly, they confirm the key role of the university in the entrepreneurial environment of strengthening innovation in organizations through partnerships with companies and governmental organizations in light of the Triple Helix theory.

In this context, Ranga and Etzkowitz (2013) point to the relevance of building spaces which are essential for the development of innovative projects involving the coordination of multiple players. When developing the Triple Helix model, Ranga and Etzkowitz (2010, 2013) proposed a methodology for building spaces for knowledge, consensus and innovation and the coordination of the different players. The knowledge space offers a concentration of critical mass connected to research and development activities, as well as other initiatives to improve the local conditions for innovation. The consensus space establishes the point of convergence among participants for the generation of new ideas and strategies to solve problems and create opportunities. The innovation space results from the efforts to integrate and connect the objectives defined in the previous spaces (Coelho et al., 2011; Champenois and Etzkowitz, 2017; Marques, 2014).

The starting point in the creation of the PMP was the excellent evaluation received by the Biology undergraduate course at the UNIFEMM, which counted on an active faculty with Master’s and doctorate degrees, and various researchers from Embrapa with a significant number of publications (Baeta et al., 2013). This potential attracted the attention of Instituicao de Ensino Superior (IES) (Higher Education Institution) managers to the possibility of launching a Master’s degree program that would enable students to continue their studies after graduation. It was the first step in the construction of the knowledge space. The institution had already been offering an undergraduate course in business management with an outstanding production of academic papers and research. In this context, the idea of combining subjects from two study areas in a stricto sensu postgraduate program lent support to the proposal of the PMP.

The implementation of the program represented a decisive step in the consolidation of the University Center. First, it strengthened the integration of several undergraduate courses directly involved with teaching and research that became the Professional Master’s area of concentration, thus creating the internal space of consensus. Professors and students found in the activities of the program the appropriate academic space for exchanges, dialogue and shared projects in both research and extension. Academics from the other undergraduate courses and the Master’s could cooperate in teaching various disciplines and this led to cooperation in publishing (books, journals, seminar and symposium papers), thus promoting the socialization of knowledge.

Institutions move towards a connection with external organizations based on the internal consensus that is built, so that an external consensus is also established, and the actions of the knowledge and innovation spaces are defined. The contribution of the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária – Embrapa (Brazilian Agribusiness Research Company) – a research company for the production of biotechnology input played a central role in the configuration of the program. Embrapa was created on 26 April 1973 under the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply). Since then, in partnership with the Sistema Nacional de Pesquisa Agropecuária – SNPA (the National System of Agribusiness Research) – the objective of the company has been to develop a model of an authentic tropical agriculture and livestock to overcome the barriers limiting the country’s production of food, fibers and power: “We are a technology innovation company focused on the production of knowledge and technology to the Brazilian agribusiness”.

Launching an academic program opens opportunities for dialogue and partnerships with organizations in the region, city administration, associations, consortia and NGOs, bringing the academic institution closer to social and political players while working in the regional environment and enlarging the external space of consensus so that the program can be active in the local environment. Since 2006, together with the Bureau for Science and Technology and Higher Education of the State of Minas Gerais, UNIFEMM has hosted two units of the Vocational Technological Center (CVT), one to process fruits and vegetables and the other to deal with electronics.

In an official document CAPES stated that:

“It is from an immediate, intense and integrated effort by the government, the industry and the academia that Brazil will be able to appear among leading countries in the biotechnology industry, especially in the areas of human health, agriculture, livestock, industrial and environmental biotechnology” (CAPES, 2014).

Biotechnology is an example of radical innovation, in the sense that it allows for completely new technologies to interact with existing industrial activities while at the same time enabling the creation of new industries (Biominas, 2007).

Despite the traditional engagement of the state of Minas Gerais with the area of biotechnology, investment in the qualification of researchers remains relatively small. The objective of the PMP is to provide qualified people with the theoretical, analytical and operational skills to work on and understand the different phases of the biotechnology and technology innovation management development process (Baeta et al., 2013; CAPES, 2013). These professionals will be qualified to work as researchers and managers at universities, companies, research institutes and government agencies. They will be able to apply biotechnology and innovation management in accordance with the economic and cultural reality of the region (Report from the Pro Reitoria Academica of UNIFEMM, 2014)

It is important to note that the main inducing and driving force of development in biotechnology is the economic demand led by industry and national and international policies, which are frequently influenced by public pressure, and advances in science and technology (Judice et Baeta, 2005). Additionally, and because of its characteristics, biotechnology is recognized as one of the key technologies for the 21^st century because of its potential for radical innovation, its current impact and its relevance to global problems (disease, nutrition and environmental pollution). Finally, biotechnology holds promise for sustainable industrial development (renewable resources, clean technology and reduction of global heating) (Bianchi, 2013).

Together, those components catalyze the development of biotechnology by generating new marketplaces, addressing chronic and emerging problems, and improving efficiency through the reduction of the costs of industrial processes to build an unequivocal space of innovation (Decree MEC No 389, March 23, 2017, and Decree CAPES No 131, June 28, 2017).

Following that line of thought, the PMP helped to raise the interest of the institution in establishing itself as an entrepreneurial university (Etzkowitz, 2003b, 2017) and motivating students to undertake research towards local development. In this regard, the university takes on a new role as the creator of knowledge to solve community problems. According to Etzkowitz (2003, 2017), this role qualifies the institution as an entrepreneurial university (Etzkowitz et al., 2022), with direct involvement in social and economic development as its new mission and the addition of academic entrepreneurship to its traditional functions.

Etzkowitz and Zhou make an important point:

“In contrast with the theories that emphasize the role of the government or of companies in innovation, the Triple Helix theory focuses on the university as a source of entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, as well as of critical survey, education and preservation of cultural heritage.” (Etzkowitz and Zhou, 2017: p. 24)

The inception of the program counted mainly on the participation of FAPEMIG, whose institutional and financial support made its implementation immediately possible. By approving the project and providing resources to expand the creation of computer and other labs at UNIFEMM, FAPEMIG made it possible for the IES to offer scholarships to students who could not afford to pay the tuition fees.

With its aims of responding to local demands and encouraging new activities and entrepreneurship in the region, the PMP was structured along three lines of research:

a) bioindustry and agribusiness,

b) biotechnology environmental management, and

c) studies in science, technology and innovation (ST&I).

Organizational theory, project development and management, biotechnological processes and innovation management are part of the course curriculum, as are subjects including entrepreneurship, intellectual property and patents, designed to qualify professionals to work in companies furthering local development.

This model presents a new configuration in terms of institutional forces giving rise to an innovation system in which the university plays an essential role in the creation of knowledge and the preparation of scientific professionals, thus facilitating knowledge and technology transfer. The other two helixes, government and industry, play different roles, working respectively in the development of financing policies and the relationship with the marketplace.

According to Etzkowitz et al. a professional Master’s course should respond to the needs of a knowledge-based society:

“In an increasingly knowledge-based society, the requirement for linking industry and higher education demands, not an ivory tower, but rather an entrepreneurial university with a broader mission for innovation than the research university, which was invented in industrial society. […] As a result, there is now a growing intimacy among university, industry and government, in structure and content, as well as a closer relationship between science and technology”. (Etzkowitz et al., 2022: p. 9)

For Etzkowitz and Viale (2010), the emergence of polyvalent research fields with simultaneous theoretical, technological and commercial potential have long provided a conduit for the growth of science-based economic clusters.

Other studies on professional master’s programs in Brazil and abroad

Various studies on entrepreneurship education (Afeli and Adunlin, 2022; Etzkowitz et al., 2022) and PMPs (Chan McLoughlin, 2005; Garlan, 1998; Matos, 1997) have gained substantial attention considering the increasing need of companies for new sources of information and knowledge in face of the technological complexity of products and processes.

In their work on PMPs, Chan and McLoughlin state:

“This paper describes how one industry–university partnership in the design of a Master’s degree is connecting university IT academics with professionals from diverse fields to design an online professional program that links theory to practice.” (Chan and McLoughlin, 2005: p. 231)

And, quoting (Michael and Balraj, 2003):

“Increasingly, in the UK, USA and Australia, institutions are engaging in partnership with other institutions, with industry and other agencies in order to achieve efficiencies in program delivery, quality enhancement and productivity.” (Chan and McLoughlin, 2005: p. 131)

According to Afeli and Adunlin:

“Pharmacists are healthcare professionals capable of generating innovative healthcare services and ideas to improve patient care and transform the healthcare system.” (Afeli and Adunlin, 2022: p. 13)

However, according to Alsharif (2019), pharmacists’ ability to translate innovative ideas into viable new ventures is not always evident, due partially to a lack of business acumen and entrepreneurial background. As Barkas and Armstrong note,

“The employability initiatives started from a simple ‘why’. Why do we need more graduates? We need more graduates to improve the economy and society, to develop new ideas and so on.” (Barkas and Armstrong, 2022: p. 52)

Garlan (1998) in his paper ‘Integrating formal methods into a Professional Master of Software Engineering Program’ noted that the approach taken by most programs was to teach formal techniques for software development in a separate course on formal methods. In his paper, Garlan describes an alternative approach in which formal methods are integrated across the curriculum.

The literature on PMPs in Brazil goes back to the 1990s. Matos (1997) noted that the subject had been present in discussions about stricto sensu postgraduate courses in the country for some time, but it was only at the beginning of the 1990s that the idea of promoting its inclusion in applied fields appeared in the agenda of the CAPES Technical-Scientific Council (CTC - Conselho Técnico-Científico da CAPES.)

Fisher discusses the professional Master’s degree as an academic activity:

“The itineraries, pathways, configurations, tensions and dilemmas of this type of course are explored. It is suggested that the professional Master’s should be valued as an innovative experience capable of contributing to the process of renovating Brazilian university courses at the graduate level.” (Fischer, 2005: p. 24)

Marquezan and Savenago state:

“In the context of the knowledge society, the professional Master’s comes as a training model to offer improvement of the academic and professional education aiming to bring together the academic and the working world.” (Marquezan and Savegnago, 2020: p. 1)

Santos at al. analyze differences and similarities between the professional Master’s and the traditional Master’s:

“In the field of public health, the subject adds additional tones as it is considered as part of a public policy of training. The professional Master’s has been consolidating its position as an alternative to the training of professionals to set up new working processes, produce technology and innovation for the health services.” (Santos et al., 2019: p. 941)

Methodology

The research began with the following question: how can a Professional Master’s Program in Biotechnology and Innovation Management, created in accordance with the Triple Helix model, influence socio-economic and technological development in a Brazilian country town in the state of Minas Gerais? The research was developed as a case study with a qualitative approach. A qualitative study is marked by its interpretive characteristic; it is based on experiences, situational and humanistic.

Thus the methodology adopted was qualitative research using interviews and document analysis (documents such as those issued by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, which gave support to the program). Included in the analysis were the project approved by CAPES, including publications and field documents, plus documents filed in the Plataforma Sucupira (assessment of Brazilian postgraduate courses).

Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted, by video call and email, with 2 Embrapa directors (E1 and E2), the president of FAPEMIG (A), 9 teachers (P1…P9), and 8 former students (S1…S8). The interviews were conducted between February and June 2021, individually, via online video call (2 interviews) and email (18 interviews); because of the rise in Covid-19 cases it was not possible to conduct in-person interviews. Of the 9 teachers interviewed, 5 were Embrapa researchers as well, working in the two institutions (the course offers classes on Saturdays). The students interviewed had already completed their courses and defended their dissertations.

The interviewees were asked about their level of satisfaction with the course, its importance to their professional life, the integration of two fields of knowledge (biotechnology and innovation management), its relevance to local socio-economic and technological development and the significance of the partnerships with Embrapa and FAPEMIG.

70% of the current teachers and 30% of former students were interviewed. The objective was to contact students who had completed the course and presented their final dissertation.

Embrapa directors were asked about how they received the invitation to participate in the creation of the program in a partnership with UNIFEMM, the reason why they made their research labs available to the students of the program, the conditions imposed and what they considered as the major interest for their company and the relevance of the course for socio-economic and technological development.

The FAPEMIG president at the time of the creation of the program also sent his answers to the interview by mail. The President was asked about the state’s assessment of the creation of a Master’s degree program in biotechnology in the region of Sete Lagoas as a partnership between FAPEMIG and Embrapa.

Results

The Evaluation Board of CAPES performs its function with the participation of the academic and scientific community through ad hoc consultants. The evaluation uses the Sucupira Platform, an online tool that adds agility and transparency to post-graduation evaluation processes in Brazil. The data collected on the PMP in Biotechnology and Innovation Management allowed us to construct Table 1, describing the PMP in terms of numbers and results. The course has been in operation since 2014. It is worth noting that the number of journal articles and technical publications by the teachers is quite significant for a PMP in its early years (Table 1).

Table 1.

PMP numbers and results.

Year	Number of active students	Number of professors	Number of students completing the course	Journal publications^a	Technological publications	Patents
2014	10	16	0	75	116	0
2015	20	15	0	116	226	0
2016	26	11	5	187	256	0
2017	30	12	11	203	261	0
2018	25	12	11	82	281	0
2019	17	14	11	51	73	1

Note: ^aThe high numbers in this column include students’ materials published with their teachers and dissertation advisors.

Source: Data surveyed by the authors from Sucupira Platform – CAPES.

With regard to the interviews with former students, the program was perceived as an opportunity for networking, continuing education, new academic perspectives and also the development of new businesses. For example:

S1: “Concerning my professional life, I intend to open a company connected to bioinformatics through an incubator.”

S2: “The Master’s degree enabled me to take part in other businesses along my career.”

S3: “Through the Master’s I became interested in phytotherapy...”

Another interviewee (S1) said:

“The Master’s allowed me to do research at Embrapa and see the result of my work be applied in a bio factory. That was very rewarding, and I was also able to understand entrepreneurship better, which made some aspects of my life lighter.”

When asked about the integration of biotechnology and innovation management, the answers were unanimous in terms of the importance and the results reached as a consequence of the integration. Interviewee E1 said:

“Biotechnology professionals have to have more and more knowledge in the fields that involve innovation management, especially in what concerns intellectual property and the creation of startups.”

And Interviewees S2 and S5 commented:

“They are usually distinct fields of knowledge, but they may perfectly complement each other when it comes to using biological resources to develop and improve products and services in different areas.” (S2)

“Innovation management helps and organizes innovations based on knowledge.” (S5)

The partnership between the university and Embrapa offered students the use of laboratories and that was a differential in their qualification. Interviewee S5 explained:

“My entire project was developed in Embrapa’s laboratories, using the company and FAPEMIG’s resources. Access to the laboratories and to the informative content was extremely important for the development of the paper. In addition to that, professional and financial incentive to my participation in scientific events was essential to my qualification.”

Due to the university–Embrapa–FAPEMIG partnership, it was possible to offer scholarships to some students as an incentive for them to work and research part time in Embrapa’s laboratories on Saturdays.

All students interviewed strongly emphasized that the program was important for the region considering that it was the first Master’s degree program and also that it offered a schedule which matched company hours.

The interviews with the teachers addressed issues related to the relevance of the program for the region and how the university–Embrapa–FAPEMIG relationship was perceived. Most of them agreed that the program was innovative. Interviewee P1 said that “the proposal of the program was interesting in several aspects, particularly in terms of staff qualification and regional development’, adding “The program may be considered innovative not only for the lack of a similar course in the region, but also for developing innovative solutions for the routine and performance of companies.”

Interviewee P4 highlighted the fact that the teachers were proud to having a PMP at IES:

“The proposal was interesting under 2 main aspects: for being a professional Master’s degree program and for combining innovation management and biotechnology. What I emphasize as being the most innovative point is the fact that it generates something concrete that may be a solution for organizations, in an objective and direct way.”

For another professor at IES:

“The course and its proposal are really rewarding. I felt I was able to help personal and regional growth and development. The Master’s program fails to have an exclusive proposal for a person or a sector but focuses on regional development in the different public and private sectors […] In all senses, we work with innovation. Through students, we receive questions about a public or a private company which are submitted to us as a problem of process or product and, as a team, we look for innovative solutions to improve the process or product at their different levels, may it be productive, input issues, procedural, quality, educational, new technologies, etc. During the qualification process, the teachers in the different disciplines had the opportunity to contact the various projects and give their contributions.” (P5)

When questioned about the results of the program implementation in the region, the respondents unanimously reported positive results. For example:

P1: “The program became a relevant opportunity for students to improve their professional qualification on subjects that have regional interest. Among the main results of the Master’s degree program, the generation of knowledge and technologies that contribute to the wellness in the area is a highlight.”

P3: “I believe the edge was the offer of a professional Master’s program focused on solutions for local and regional problems in an area that is deprived of qualification for new professionals.”

Most interviewees emphasized the fact that it is an innovative program since it is focused on the solution of specific problems, whose results impact local business people and the society as a whole.

It is well-known that biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field of study that includes different subfields like biology and chemistry, among others. However, the combination with innovation management was undoubtedly an innovative experience and was reaffirmed by all the teachers interviewed as an innovative aspect of the program.

The teachers confirmed the importance of the course to the local society. For Interviewee P6:

“The flexible schedule of classes and allowing students who needed to work to do a stricto sensu post-graduation degree was very relevant to most of them.”

Teachers who were also researchers at Embrapa stated:

“Partnership between the program and Embrapa is solid, and I believe the knowledge of innovation management developed during the course is especially important.” (P3)

“The course has a multidisciplinary aspect that is new in the region and that combines biotechnology and innovation management, providing teachers and students with challenges.” (P2)

Regarding the benefits for students and for the region, there was a consensus that it was a great opportunity that would contribute to regional development. Interviewee P2 noted that the program had been a valuable opportunity for students and the substantial demand for professionals in the area of health had been a surprise:

“I believe that the value of the program is the possibility of accessing real problems of industry, generating results through well focused experiments/research and founded on high-density deep knowledge.”

It is worth noting that, from the outset, the proposal of the program counted on the support of Embrapa’s directors and of UNIFEMM. The interviews with the Embrapa directors demonstrated how the partnership to create the program had been established. According to the directors, the company had been interested in creating a PMP in Sete Lagoas to expand knowledge about biotechnology and to favor the recruitment of participants for its research on agriculture. Interviewee E2 explained:

t“There was a positive view of the possibility of training researchers in biological and agronomic techniques involving agrobiology to operate in the regional market, with the possibility of expanding the use of innovation in biotechnology and bioinputs. Thus, several researchers in these areas worked in the professional Master’s course at UNIFEMM, both as teachers and as advisors for work developed at Embrapa.”

Regarding the invitation for the partnership and the opening of the company laboratories to Master’s students, one director reported:

“At first, the invitation was received with some suspicion on the part of Embrapa’s management, as they were not aware of the possibility of establishing a partnership of this nature between a public company and a private educational institution. All partnerships previously signed in relation to postgraduate courses were with public institutions.” (E1)

After internal discussions at the company and more meetings between the UNIFEMM managers and Embrapa’s directors, these doubts were resolved, and it became clear that the partnership could meet some of Embrapa’s and UNIFEMM’s demands. In reality, distrust was linked to the possibility of generating expenses with no return for the company.

The partnership was perceived as bringing positive results, since the company was interested in expanding its research activities:

“The participation of researchers in the course was positive, especially for those who became teachers of the course and advisors of the students' research work. The addition of qualified labor to work in laboratories that are highly sensitive in scientific aspects, such as those in the biotechnology and agrobiology areas, pleased the researchers involved in the course and caused other researchers to expect to have students under their supervision.” (E1)

“Embrapa is a research company; therefore it is interested in contributing expansion of knowledge to the region, so the Master’s degree program came to fill an important gap.” (E3)

“In fact, Embrapa researchers are very favorable to the combination of company teaching and research, as it is a way to integrate various fields of knowledge and obtain help from highly qualified personnel for the development of their research work. Another reason for the acceptance of researchers is that these orientations and co-orientations are part of their curriculum vitae, improving their evaluation both for professional progression and for obtaining research resources from funding agencies.” (E1)

“With the participation of the Master’s program students in research activities, qualified labor was added and some research processes and methodologies were speeded up with a positive impact on the company’s internal environment.” (E2)

“There were cases of employees who took their Master’s degree and whose final papers were published as articles in reputable A2 journals [i.e., qualified as A2 by CAPES – the second highest category in the national ranking for academic journals], which generated great visibility for Embrapa and UNIFEMM. The course explored the field of biotechnology in depth, which favored not only the expanded recruitment of qualified personnel for our research in the region, but also, for many Embrapa employees, the opportunity to earn their Master’s degree. Some of them, after completing their dissertation, went on to study for a doctorate and prepared their thesis on their research at UFMG and later published it. Others created start-ups.” (E3)

The laboratory hours available for experimental classes were also very important, with the course being offered on Friday nights and Saturdays:

“Among other reasons because there was no conflict for the use of Embrapa laboratories by students was the fact that practical classes in the laboratories were held on Saturdays, which did not interfere with Embrapa working hours. During the week only those who were scholarship holders or interns came to the laboratories”. (E2)

One of the directors commented on the relevance of the PMP and the emphasis on innovation management:

“Two aspects stand out for me: The professional Master’s degree in Biotechnology is an innovation at national level, as biotechnology professionals are generally trained in the academic level, with an academic curriculum. The market demanded – and still does – professionals with a technological profile to apply the knowledge acquired in their training”. (E1)

The participation of the president of FAPEMIG at the time of the creation of the program was very significant – and by giving us an interview for this article, he reaffirmed his strong confidence in the relevance of the course:

“The creation of the professional Master’s degree in biotechnology and innovation management, as a field of work with a future, took place at an important moment of the national academic context, therefore, in compliance with FAPEMIG guidelines. Like the academic Master’s degree, this professional Master’s degree was accredited by CAPES, a decision also adopted by FAPEMIG. On the other hand, on the occasion, FAPEMIG was implementing the recommendations of the Minas Gerais Innovation Law, approved in 2008, that FAPEMIG should also invest in innovation. Additionally, the project included a partnership with Embrapa, an institution recognized both nationally and internationally for the high level of its research and innovation projects. Thus, the proposal for the aforementioned professional Master’s degree program aroused interest and gained FAPEMIG support.” (A)

His intervention with CAPES, as President of FAPEMIG, was essential for the approval of the proposal. Even though it was a pioneering initiative, we asked, had the proposal already indicated to him the possibility of returns to local development? How did he perceive the relevance of the course for the region?

“Investments in professional Master’s degree programs became FAPEMIG’s interest in fulfilling its revised mission after the Minas Gerais Innovation Law came into force, as not only biotechnology but also innovation management are topics of interest to the State of Minas Gerais for their value in generating knowledge, training highly qualified professionals and generating wealth for the region. Consequently, the relevance of the proposed course brought together important elements for the development of the State as a whole, and of the region in particular.” (A)

When asked whether FAPEMIG participation in the implementation of the course had any repercussions within the body of collaborators – if it generated any criticism or any proposal for new FAPEMIG support spaces formulated among its collaborators – he commented:

“The fact that the professional Master’s and the innovation were valued as FAPEMIG lines of support broke traditional paradigms that had been limited to supporting stricto sensu academic postgraduate courses and scientific research projects. There were some questions that contributed explanations to employees and the entire academic community about the important change that FAPEMIG went through at that time. It is worth emphasizing that from 2007, with the receipt of its full budget (1% of the State’s current net revenue) and 2008, with the Minas Gerais Innovation Law, FAPEMIG was able to considerably expand its development portfolio.” (A)

Positive results from the program could be clearly identified in the achievements of students, who created or improved processes and products for local companies. For example, the creation of a virtual reality tool was the result of a student’s dissertation and allows for the exploration of the local “Rei do Mato Cave” by people who have difficulty in entering the Cave. Another example was a dissertation about the enhancement of the vegetal coal production process, which reduces the volume of CO₂ released into the atmosphere and improves the quality of coal for burning. In addition, there was the creation of economic technological mechanisms to disperse inputs from biofactories, the production of new ways to present biotechnology to different segments of education using robotics and psycho-pedagogical techniques for children with cognitive and communication disorders.

The analysis of the program results through interviews and data regarding dissertations (Table 2), with a clear aim to solve regional problems, contributes to our understanding of the application of the theory regarding spaces of knowledge, consensus and innovation in the dynamics of coordination between universities, companies and government agencies. Table 2 lists the titles of some of the Master’s dissertations from 2016 to 2019, reflecting their innovative and applied character and conveying the contribution of this PMP to economic and technological development in Brazil.

Table 2.

Selected dissertation titles.

1. Methodology to assess the root system of corn seedlings under the effect of bio stimulants

2. Super expression of the rootless gene concerning crown and seminal roots (RTCS) of corn in tobacco

3.Use of McPhail traps in handling the euxesta spp. fly in sweet corn

4. Perception and knowledge of the health team on the vaccine against HPV

5. Integrated information network to manage solid urban and industrial residues: The perception of citizens and business people in Matozinhos/M.G.

6. Sustainable production system for the silage of irrigated corn: case study in the area of Sete Lagoas – M.G.

7. The use of the environmental impact coefficient as an indicator for the selection of chemical and biological insecticides in the control of insects and plagues

8. Biotechnology: An interdisciplinary project involving students in primary school at a public school in the city of Sete Lagoas – M.G.

9. Contribution of ozonation in polishing textile effluent and producing reuse water: Case study in Sete Lagoas – M.G.

10. The effect of bacteria that foster development in corn seedlings grown in a nutritive solution

Final considerations

The PMP in Biotechnology and Innovation Management established through a UNIFEMM, Embrapa and FAPEMIG/CAPES partnership in 2014 demonstrates the relevance of the Triple Helix model proposed by Etzkowitz (2008, 2017) in the dynamics of its operation. Since its design and implementation, it has developed our understanding of how the construction of spaces of knowledge, consensus and innovation favor the dynamics and effectiveness articulation process as anticipated by Ranga and Etzkowitz (2013).

The program is outstanding for the research it produces in collaboration with companies and through project funding by government agencies. It is worth noting the number of dissertations completed (38 in 6 years) and that two former students were accepted into doctoral programs in Biotechnology. It is important to record that three students from the first intake for the PMP have already completed their doctoral studies and now work in the region. Three students from the second intake are currently enrolled in doctoral programs. Furthermore, one of the dissertations generated a request for patent. Data on the course evaluation point out to characteristics of the interactions that are established between the players involved, with a focus on the protagonist role of the university in regional development. This is consistent with the finding of Etzkowitz and Zhou (2017) concerning the prominence of the university in relation to government and companies in the innovation process.

The PMP highlights five aspects of relevance to the local community: (a) the professional enhancement of students to meet the expectations of the regional labor market, (b) the generation of new knowledge applied to problem solving and company competitiveness, (c) the connectedness of the university, the productive sector and society, (d) stimulus to the maintenance of the Professional Master’s qualification and the ongoing studies in subsequent doctoral research, and (e) the generation of new business and social and technological development.

Considering the differences between university, company and government, this account of the establishment and development of the PMP demonstrates shows how the principles of the Triple Helix were observed and how innovative results were generated. A Brazilian academic institution located in a country town in Minas Gerais, together with a local company and the support of government agencies, brought new knowledge to large and small companies and impacted the regional development of the state.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Adelaide Maria Coelho Baeta

Karla Rocha Liboreiro

References

Afeli

Adunlin

(2022) Curriculum content for innovation and entrepreneurship education in US pharmacy programs. Industry and Higher Education 36(1): 13–18.

Alsharif

(2019) The need for disruptive innovation in pharmacy. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 83: 837719.

Almeida

(2008) Innovation and entrepreneurship in Brazilian universities. International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development 7: 39–58.

Baeta

AMC

Padrao

VVP

(2011). Mestrado profissional como expressao do novo modelo de producao do conhecimento. Revista Funadesp 4: 81–88.

Baeta

AMC

Padrao

VVP

Teixeira

(2013) Projeto do Curso de Mestrado em Biotecnologia e Gestao da Inovacao. Brasil: Centro Universitário de Sete Lagoas. Projeto apresentado a CAPES- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento do Pessoal do Ensino Superior. Ministerio da Educacao.

Baeta

AMC

Horta

Penna

, et al. (2018) Mestrado profissional: Um novo espaco na construcao da Universidade Empreendedora. In: IV Congresso Lusofono de comportamento Organizacional e Gestao. Sao Paulo: Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.

Barkas

Armstrong

P.-A.

(2022) The price of knowledge and the wisdom of innocence: A difficult journey through the employability discourse in higher education. Industry and Higher Education 36(1): 51–62.

Biominas (2007) Estudo de Empresas de Biotecnologia do Brasil. Belo Horizonte: Fundacao Biominas.

Bianchi

(2013) A indústria brasileira de biotecnologia: Montando o quebra cabeca. Revista Economia e Tecnologia 9(2): 90–107.

10.

Botelho

MdRA

Carrijo

MDC

(2006) Capacitacao tecnologica E inovacao: Analise do arranjo produtivo local de biotecnologia em belo horizonte (Mg). In: Anais do XII Seminário sobre a Economia Mineira [Proceedings of the 12th Seminar on the Economy of Minas Gerais]. In: Antonio de Paula

(eds), Cedeplar: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.

11.

CAPES - Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento do Pessoal de Ensino Superior (2014). Professional Master: What is it? Available at: https://www.gov.br/capes/pt-br/centrais-de-conteudo/Biotecnologia_doc_area_e_comisso_block.pdf (accessed 20 June 2020).

12.

CAPES (2013). Available at: https://www.gov.br/capes/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/acoes-e-programas/avaliacao/sobre-a-avaliacao/avaliacao-o-que-e/sobre-a-avaliacao-conceitos-processos-e-normas/mestrado-profissional-o-que-e (accessed 20 June 2020).

13.

Coelho

Terra

Borin

ECP

, et al. (2011) Unifei, Brazil: A case study of the hole of the university in local development. International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship 2(4): 228–239.

14.

Champenois

Etzkowitz

(2017) From boundary line to boundary space: The creation of hybrid organizations as a triple helix micro-foundation. Technovation 76-77: 28–39.

15.

Chan

McLoughlin

(2005) The Search for Balance in the Design and Delivery of an Australian IT Professional Master’s Degree. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228654766.

16.

Etzkowitz

(2003a) Innovation in innovation: The triple helix of university-industry-government relation. Studies of Science Social Science Information 42(3): 293–337.

17.

Etzkowitz

(2003b) Research groups as ‘quasi-firms’: The invention of the entrepreneurial university. Research Policy 32: 109–121.

18.

Etzkowitz

(2008) Triple Helix University, Industry and Government Innovation. Ny, London: Routledge.

19.

Etzkowitz

Viale

(2010) Polyvalent knowledge and the entrepreneurial university: A third academic revolution? Critical Sociology 36(4): 595–609.

20.

Etzkowitz

Zhou

(2017) Triple helix: Innovation and entrepreneurship university-industry and government. Advanced Studies 31(90): 23–48.

21.

Etzkowitz

Dzisah

Clouser

(2022) Shaping the entrepreneurial university: Two experiments and a proposal for innovation in higher education. Industry and Higher Education 36(1): 3–12.

22.

Fischer

(2005) Mestrado profissional como prática academica. Revista Brasileira de Pós-Graduação- R B P G 2(4): 24–29.

23.

Garlan

(1998) Integrating formal methods into a professional master of software engineering program. In: Proceedings of The 8th Z Users Meeting (Invited Paper), Cambridge, UK, June 1994, pp. 71–85.

24.

Giacomazzo

Leite

DBC

(2014) O mestrado profissional no ambito das politicas públicas na educacao: reflexoes sobre a producao do conhecimento científico. ETD - Educacao Temática Digital 16(3): 475.

25.

Gusmao

AOdM

Silva

ARd

Medeiros

(2017) A biotecnologia e os avancos da sociedade. Revista Biodiversidade 16(N1): 146.

26.

INDI – MG (2020) Instituto de desenvolvimento industrial de minas gerais Indi.mg.gov.br.2020. Available at: https://www.indi.mg.gov.br/minas-gerais/setores-de-destaque/biotecnologia/ (accessed April 2020).

27.

Judice

Baeta

AMC

(2005) Modelo empresarial e gestao da inovacao e investimentos de venture capital em empresas de biotecnologia no Brasil. Revista de Administracao Contemporanea 9: 171–191.

28.

Judice

Baeta

AMC

(2002) Clusters em bioindustria e biotecnologia em Minas Gerais. Habitats construidos de inovacao, competitividade e desenvolvimento regional. Journal of Management and Technology 1.

29.

Marques

(2014) Regional dynamics of triple helix spaces of innovation, knowledge and creations of firms in coimbra (Portugal). International Journal of Business and Social Research 4(1): 61–69.

30.

Marquezan

Savegnago

(2020) O mestrado profissional no contexto da formação continuada e o impacto na atuação dos profissionais da educação. Revista Internacional de Educação Superior 6.

31.

Matos

(1997) Mestrado no Brasil: Uma nova perspectiva. Revista de Administracao Contemporanea 1(2).

32.

Michael

Balraj

(2003) Higher education institutional collaborations: An analysis of models of joint degree programs. Journal of Higher Education policy and management 25(2): 131–145.

33.

Ranga

Etzkowitz

(2010) A triple helix system for knowledge based regional development: From the spheres to spaces. In: VIII Triple Helix Conference. Madrid.

34.

Ranga

Etzkowitz

(2013) Triple helix systems: an analytical framework for innovation policy and practice in the knowledge society. Industry and Higher Education 27(4): 237–262.

35.

Santos

Hortale

Souza

, et al. (2019) Similarities and diferences between academic and professional master programs as educational public policy in the field of public health. Ciencia and Saude Coletiva 24(3): 941–952.

36.

Silva

(2017) Formacao sustentavel do professor no mestrado profissional. Revista Brasileira de Educacao 22(70): 731. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-24782017227036-set

37.

Takahashi

aRW

Verchai

Montenegro

, et al. (2010) Mestrado profissional e mestrado academico em administracao: convergencias, divergencias e desafios aos programas de pos-graduacao stricto sensu no brasil. Administracao: Ensino e Pesquisa 11(4): 551.

38.

Trierweille

(2021) Extensao ou terceira missao: oportunidade para a construcao de uma univesidade empreendedora. Revista de Administracao e Contabilidade da Faculdade Estacio do Para 8: 119–135.

39.

UFINEMM (2014) “Relatorio da Reitoria de Pesquisa da UNIFEMM, 2014.” (accessed 20 June 2021).