O PAPEL DE UMA INCUBADORA NO APOIO À COMERCIALIZAÇÃO DE INOVAÇÕES EM PEQUENAS EMPRESAS DE BASE TECNOLÓGICA

Abstract

This research was mainly aimed at identifying the role of an incubator in supporting the commercialization of innovations in ten graduated technology-based small companies – in Portuguese “pequenas empresas de base tecnológica – PEBTs”, from the perspective of entrepreneurs. It seeks to identify the performance of PEBTs when it comes about billing and the trajectory of these companies related to incubation time and entrance into the market. The study was one of the exploratory-descriptive type, with a qualitative methodological approach. Results pointed out that graduated PEBTs survive, despite a continuous low billing and small size, as observed in six out of the ten companies surveyed. Incubation process has not exerted direct influence on commercialization, but the fact itself of passing through the incubator helped more than hindered those activities, which highlights the relevant role of the incubator for PEBTs.