Paper short abstract:

In this paper it is proposed to discuss some of the main results of a research project on science and industry relations, where the focus privileged was on the S&T projects based on public policy definition of social needs that allow the S&T projects to be approved and have public funding.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper it is proposed to discuss some of the main results of a research project on science and industry relations, where the focus privileged was on the S&T projects and its network configuration based on public policy definition of social needs that allow the S&T projects to be developed, but, first of all, to be approved and have public funding. Seven S&T projects were analysed, two coordinated and developed by university research centers and five coordinated by companies, but all of them are characterized by having an institutional net of partners from academia and from industry, although quite different in its configurations and trajectories. The moments of convergence are crucial to understand who, why and how institutions and people meet on a specific moments of time and what kind of social needs are supposed to answer. S&T projects revealed also to be a crucial framework to discuss the social processes of knowledge and technology creation, transfer and sharing and to what extend the rules of funding (funding agency driven) influence the constitution of partnerships and networks. The research was conducted based on an ethnographic approach in two companies, including direct observation, interviews and document's analysis.