Innovation management in the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology of the Brazilian Northeast

With the Law nº 11.892 of 2008, Brazilian´s professional education acquired new status, based on the conception of the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (FIs). In essence, FIs have the responsibility to stimulate applied research in the development of technical and technological solutions; entrepreneurship; and scientific and technological development with a view to innovative processes. Despite their intrinsic proximity to the productive sector, giving them an environment conducive to the development of intellectual assets, some FIs still have difficulties in managing innovation. Conversely, some of these institutions have developed mechanisms to promote innovation management and the improvement of knowledge protection indicators developed in their locus. In this perspective, the FIs of the Northeast region of Brazil stand out, through their Technological Innovation Centers, presenting the best Intellectual Property (IP) safeguard indexes between the years 2008 to 2016. In this sense, the present work aims to present the innovation actions of the FIs of the referred region that culminated in a greater protection of IP, and may serve as a reference for other institutions in the network.