1. IntroductionThe concept of national innovation systems (Freeman, 1988; Nelson, 1993) is the starting point of the present investigation. It is a complex institutional framework that characterizes modern capitalist economies, involving a diversity of actors – companies with or without R&D departments, universities, research institutes, government, financial agencies, legal framework – and a division of work between them. In such an institutional framework, the relationships necessary for the exchange and combination of knowledge and experiences between actors constitute a crucial factor differentiating between developed and undeveloped NSIs (Lundvall, 2003). Among them, those between businesses, universities and research institutes stand out because they operate in a complementary manner, bringing benefits to both academia and industry (Mowery and Sampat, 2005). From the point of view of most developed industrial countries, they constitute a key and dynamic element of NSIs, particularly in the form of bidirectional links (Narin, 1997; Pavitt, 1991; Rosenberg, 1990). They are also described as complex and multiple in their most advanced form – in the case of the United States (Klevorick et al, 1995; Cohen et al, 2002). These studies also show that the channels through which knowledge circulates between companies and public research organizations (PROs), as well as the relationships between the channels used and the benefits obtained. However, they have strong historical roots, with very specific patterns of change in time and space, and are difficult to construct (Rosenberg, 1982; Mokyr, 1990). On the one hand, they thrive in academic environments that value the so-called “entrepreneurial role” of universities beyond the traditional emphasis on higher education, scientific knowledge production, and paper supply. ...the creation of scientific institutions “ahead of demand”. This was the case for information and communication technologies, computer science and computer engineering. On the other hand, despite recent progress, Brazil still lags behind its National Innovation System (NSI). Unlike South Korea, the path taken by Brazil is slow and shows a relatively weak trade-off between scientific and technological production, as demonstrated by Ribeiro et al (2009). The scientific side of the system has improved significantly, but the mismatch with production technology is representative of a less developed national socio-economic formation. Furthermore, it is understood that an INS constitutes a prerequisite for overcoming underdevelopment, as it produces solutions to the problems faced by the economy and society (Suzigan, Rapini and Albuquerque). (2009).