A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF INNOVATION MANAGEMENT IN THE MEDICAL, HOSPITAL AND DENTAL CARE EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY IN RIBEIRÃO PRETO DOI:10.5773/rai.v8i1.733

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to identify how companies in the medical, hospital and dental care equipment industry in Ribeirão Preto manage the innovation process by looking at the profile and the evolution of technology management in the firms studied. We performed a qualitative, exploratory study involving four companies in 2005 and later in 2007. Personnel responsible for innovation planning and management participated in semi-structured interviews. We also analyzed the patent applications made by these companies using the database of the National Institute of Industrial Property. The results suggest that while participating firms considered innovation important, there is a need for greater structure and strategic vision around innovation generation, as well as a less reactive stance by the companies on this issue. We observed some maturation in the firms between the first and second phases of the study, but there is still a need for more systematic management of innovation in these companies.