Industry-university interaction strategies of large Brazilian pharmaceutical companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategies and organizational forms used by large Brazilian pharmaceutical companies (LBPCs) in interaction with universities for the development of innovation. Design/methodology/approach In the pharmaceutical industry, a science-based sector, the source of new knowledge is often outside the company environment. Thus, the search for innovation depends on the company’s strategic decisions of cooperation. This research uses the case study method, with secondary data from the 2008, 2011 and 2014 Innovation Survey (Pintec) about the innovative efforts of LBPCs, as well as primary data from semi-structured interviews with six of them. Findings The most recent data on innovation in Brazil show changes in the innovative efforts of LBPCs, involving the raise in the interaction with universities. The results of the field research also show that the LBPCs have differentiated innovative structures and are effectively using strategies for partnerships with universities, through the creation of radical innovation departments, the establishment of internal scientific committees and the internationalization of research and development. Originality/value These findings contribute to the literature on the industry-university interactions in Brazil and in developing countries. However, this analysis cannot be generalized for the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry as it uses the case study method. Moreover, it is too early to determine if the identified strategies were successful. Nonetheless, it is worth mentioning that the strategies of the six interviewed companies differ greatly from the patterns of the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry and the manufacturing industry. Objetivo El objetivo de este artículo es analizar las estrategias y estructuras organizacionales de las grandes empresas farmacéuticas brasileñas (GEFBs) en la interacción con universidades para el desarrollo innovador. En la industria farmacéutica, un sector basado en la ciencia, la fuente del conocimiento suele estar fuera del ambiente de la empresa. Por lo tanto, la búsqueda de la innovación depende de las decisiones estratégicas de cooperación de la empresa. Diseño/metodología/aproximación Esta investigación utiliza el método de estudio de caso, a partir de datos secundarios de la Encuesta de Innovación (Pintec) de 2008, 2011 y 2014 sobre los esfuerzos innovadores de las GEFBs, así como datos primarios de entrevistas semiestructuradas con seis de ellas