Paraíba's Universities Lead Patent Growth Amid Challenges in Technology Licensing

Paraíba emerged as one of Brazil’s leading states in patent filings in 2017, according to data from the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). The state recorded a 164% increase in patent applications between 2016 and 2017, the highest relative growth nationwide. With 177 filings in 2017, Paraíba ranked seventh among Brazilian states, surpassing other northeastern states such as Ceará (169 filings) and Pernambuco (153).

This surge is largely attributed to the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG) and the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), which filed 70 and 66 patents respectively in 2017. Together, these two institutions outpaced the combined filings of the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the University of São Paulo (USP), traditionally dominant players in Brazil’s patent landscape.

The growth reflects the establishment of Centers for Technological Innovation at Paraíba’s universities over the past decade, fostering a culture of intellectual property protection. However, despite the expanded patent portfolios, technology transfer to society through licensing remains limited. The UFPB Bureau of Technological Innovation (Inova-UFPB), inaugurated in 2013, holds 225 patents filed nationally that have yet to generate royalties.

Petrônio Filgueiras de Athayde Filho, president of Inova-UFPB and a chemist, attributes this gap to insufficient interaction with the production sector. “Many applied research projects are carried out in the academic arena without corporate partnerships. We attribute this to a lack of interaction with the production sector because patented technology can add value to products and processes,” he explained. Athayde also noted that Paraíba’s lack of a strong industrial base complicates technology transfer efforts. To address this, Inova-UFPB has begun proactively presenting its patent portfolio to companies outside the state and aims to bolster its role as a business incubator by encouraging startups to leverage university technologies. A recent pre-startup call for proposals targets patent licensing to emerging companies in 2019.

Researchers at UFPB acknowledge the innovation center’s role in raising awareness about intellectual property but emphasize the need to focus on licensing. Fabíola da Cruz Nunes, vice director of UFPB’s Biotechnology Center, highlighted the difficulty in connecting with companies and the necessity of seeking partners nationally and internationally.

In collaboration with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) Cotton Division in Campina Grande, da Cruz Nunes developed a patent-pending insecticide derived from the leaf juice of sisal (Agave sisalana) that targets Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. The natural, biodegradable larvicide is intended for powder form dilution in water, pending toxicity tests. If commercially viable, it could support local sisal producers affected by synthetic fiber competition.

Inova-UFPB’s patent portfolio spans food engineering, fuel, chemistry, energy, and health sectors. Athayde highlighted innovations such as shape memory alloys, electronic chips, and an electronic baby monitor for hearing-impaired individuals. Chemical patents include portable devices for assessing industrial product quality, while health-related patents cover molecules with potential treatments for cancer, asthma, hypertension, and depression. Food technology patents, particularly for nutrient- or probiotic-enriched products, accounted for 32 filings in 2017.

The rise in patent filings coincides with the consolidation of postgraduate programs in Paraíba. A 2015 study by the Center for Strategic Studies and Management (CGEE) reported 90 master’s and 42 doctoral programs in the state in 2014, ranking Paraíba among the top 11 states nationally. UFPB alone accounted for 76% of master’s and 90% of doctoral programs, underscoring its pivotal role in the state’s innovation ecosystem.

At UFCG, the Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer (NITT), established in 2008, has focused on fostering an innovation culture. Since 2016, researchers have taken responsibility for registering new technologies and drafting patents. In 2017, NITT launched the Observatory of Technological Intelligence to assess research projects’ commercial potential and promote patent licensing.

Electrical engineering and computer science generate most new technologies at UFCG, linked to departments with substantial R&D funding. However, food engineering, chemical engineering, nutrition, and biotechnology lead in granted patents. Nutritionist Ana Cristina Silveira Martins holds 30 patents, primarily developed during her master’s at UFCG’s Center for Education and Health. Her innovations include mandacaru flour and jelly products designed to promote regional food alternatives in northeastern Brazil, with plans to license these to the food industry.

The prominence of universities and public research institutions in Paraíba’s intellectual property landscape contrasts with industrialized countries, where corporations dominate patent filings. The economic crisis in Brazil has further reduced corporate patent activity. In 2017, only one company, CNH Industrial, appeared among the top 15 patent applicants nationwide, compared to eight companies during 2000–2005.

Paraíba’s innovation system includes four major public institutions—UFPB, UFCG, the Federal Institute of Paraíba (IFPB), and the State University of Paraíba (UEPB)—alongside government and private sector participants. Campina Grande’s Bodocongó neighborhood serves as a technology hub, hosting universities, tech companies, technical schools, and research centers such as the Paraíba Technological Park Foundation (PaqTcPB), which promotes entrepreneurship in software, geoprocessing, and biotechnology.

The region’s innovation ecosystem traces back to the 1970s, when UFPB’s then-chancellor Lynaldo Cavalcanti de Albuquerque attracted professionals from other states and trained local faculty. The 1980s saw the establishment of one of Brazil’s first technological parks in Campina Grande.

Despite institutional strengths, interaction among innovation actors remains limited. Fabiano de Moura Ribeiro, a UFPB Budget Committee member and doctoral candidate, identified over 15 actors in Paraíba’s innovation system, including educational institutions, corporate entities, and government bodies. These are well distributed across the state’s four mesoregions but lack sufficient connectivity, especially with the production sector.

To address this, the Plan for Economic, Social and Sustainable Development for the Local Productive Cells of Paraíba (PLADES) was launched in 2017. This initiative brings together higher education, business representatives, state government, and the Superintendency of Northeastern Development (SUDENE) to foster territorial development through networks of local productive cells (APLs). Strengthening these networks aims to enhance collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation, potentially improving patent licensing outcomes by aligning research with industry needs.

Paraíba’s experience highlights the critical challenge of translating academic patent growth into tangible economic and social benefits through effective technology transfer and industry engagement.