LUDUS: a process for management of academic works in information and communication technologies with a focus on innovation generation

Objective: This study proposes and evaluates an innovative process for managing and developing academic works in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) field. The main objective is to boost innovation generation and stimulate entrepreneurship among students. In practical terms, the study aims to build a process that shapes research towards the creation of minimum viable products (MVPs). Relevance: There is a misalignment between the University and the productive sector, mainly due to significant differences in expectations regarding the application of research and development results. These challenges hinder innovation generation and, consequently, the technological development and industrialization of the country, ranking it 64th out of 126 economies, according to the Global Innovation Index. Methodology: This research combines quantitative and qualitative methods. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the advantages and limitations of different comparison criteria. The created process, called LUDUS, was rigorously applied to Undergraduate Capstone Projects (UCPs) over a year in the Department of Computing at the Federal University of Sergipe (DCOMP/UFS). Three quantitative performance metrics were defined to evaluate the adoption of LUDUS: (i) project abandonment rate, (ii) MVP generation rate, and (iii) startup creation rate. Main Results: LUDUS enabled the construction of proofs of concept (PoC) or MVPs with a 70.5% success rate, contrasting with the non-existence of successful cases in the pre-LUDUS period. In the academic sphere, LUDUS contributed to an increase in the UCP completion rate from approximately 69% to 86%. Contributions: A new process for development and people management was conceived, tested, and validated to help mitigate the identified problem. Objetivo do estudo: Propor e avaliar um processo para gestão (e desenvolvimento) de trabalhos acadêmicos de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) que potencialize a geração de inovação e estimule o empreendedorismo. Em termos práticos, o objetivo é o de construir um processo que molde a pesquisa realizada guiando-a para a criação de um produto mínimo viável (do inglês, Minimum Viable Product - MVP). Relevância: A Universidade e o setor produtivo possuem dificuldades de alinhamento, principalmente pelas grandes diferenças em relação às expectativas sobre a aplicação daquilo que se investiga ou se desenvolve. Essas dificuldades prejudicam a geração de inova