Universidade, inovação, dependência e o Hub de H2V do Complexo do Pecém: um estudo de caso da Universidade Federal do Ceará

Abstract

Discussions that address the issue are frequent the possibilities of Brazil's insertion in the H2V production chain, highlighting its comparative advantages and its export potential. However, it is important that if this insertion occurs, it will reinforce the country's position in the International Division of Labor (IDL), in what Chilean sociologist Jaime Osório conceptualizes as the “New Export Pattern of Productive Specialization”, or it will consolidate opportunities for the generation of high value-added products, reducing regional imbalances and generating economic, infrastructural and technological advances in peripheral regions, such as the Northeast, which are home to a large portion of the country's installed renewable energy capacity and emerge as the main destination for H2V projects. In this context, this study seeks to understand UFC's participation in the development of the H2V production chain in Ceará, in terms of Science, Technology and Innovation, focusing on the Hub installed in the Pecém Complex; seeking to explore both their contributions to the Hub and the possible repercussions of the Hub for the UFC. Methodologically, the research presents a qualitative approach, with exploratory and descriptive objectives, and uses triangulation between bibliographic research, documentary research and semi-structured interviews. The study findings highlight the still exploratory nature of UFC’s collaborations with Hub companies, with the only cases recorded so far being the agreement reached with Fortescue and the MoU signed with Mingyang Smart Energy. Likewise, the results found that Hub companies have not generated any significant positive externalities for UFC to date, drawing attention, in this case, to the scarcity of “specifically technological spillovers”, that is, spillovers involving innovation partnerships, transfers or the development of new technological products or services.