What Type of Firm Forges Closer Innovation Linkages with Portuguese Universities?

Using large-scale survey data for firms located in Portugal, we analyze which firm characteristics are conducive to establishing contacts with universities. Although almost half of the firms surveyed stated they had established some contacts with universities in the period 2001-2003, only a few (22%) consider universities an important source of knowledge and information for their innovation activities. Our analysis indicates that the firms’ propensity to draw on each of the Portuguese universities is explained by the characteristics of the different firms and their regional and industrial patterns. An unambiguous and statistically robust finding is that proximity matters highly in firmsuniversities linkages – our estimations reveal that firms are more likely to contacts universities located nearby.

What type of firm forges closer innovation linkages with Portuguese Universities?

Using large-scale survey data for (1538) firms located in Portugal, we analyze which firm characteristics are conducive to establishing contacts with universities. Although almost half of the firms surveyed stated they had established some contacts with universities in the period 2001-2003, only a few (21.5%) consider universities an important source of knowledge and information for their innovation activities. A more disturbing finding is that 61% of the total firms claimed they had no intentions of establishing future contacts with universities and 38% would only be moderately interested in doing so (‘if requested’). The Universities of Minho, Porto and Aveiro are the ones that cover a higher percentage of contacts from firms. Furthermore, in terms of the most demanding type of contacts (protocols, partnerships and projects), the Técnica de Lisboa (Lisbon Technical), Aveiro and Porto are the best-ranked universities. Our analysis indicates that the firms’ propensity to draw on each of the Portuguese universities is explained by the characteristics of the different firms and their regional and industrial patterns. For instance, firms that have established contacts with the Aveiro, Coimbra, Évora, Lisboa, and the Nova (Lisbon) universities tend to be relatively R&D-intensive, whereas those that contact the Católica (Porto) and Porto universities are relatively large and export-intensive. If we exclude the Algarve and Beira Interior universities, firms that contact all the other universities tend to be relatively human capital-intensive. Firms belonging to ‘R&D and Engineering services’ show a relatively high propensity to draw on universities in general, and the Aveiro, Beira Interior, Católica (Porto), Porto and Técnica de Lisboa universities, in particular. ‘Textiles and leather’ firms establish more contacts with the Beira Interior and Minho universities, thus reflecting to some extent the specialization pattern of the corresponding region. An unambiguous and statistically robust finding is that proximity matters highly in firms-universities linkages - our estimations reveal that firms are more likely to contacts universities located nearby.University, Firm, linkages

Conceptualizing clusters through the lens of networks: a critical synthesis

Clusters, as spatial concentrations of economic activity, constitute an important form of coordination with significant repercussions in the configuration of firm and territorial strategies. They are recognized, both by academics and policymakers, as a territorial pattern of economy yielding critical issues in terms of competitive advantage, innovation, and economic growth. Despite that, a rigorous and clear-cut definition of cluster is still far from being reached. In the present paper, resorting to a critical synthesis of the literature on networks and clusters, we propose a unified, encompassing, and less blurred definition of cluster.Clusters, Networks, Concepts

The case of English, French and European Portuguese

UID/LIN/03213/2013 PD/BD/52263/2013This paper shows that languages with distinct degrees of word order flexibility, like English, French and European Portuguese (EP), only permit locative inversion (LI) with preverbal XPs which are stage topics. This is argued to be both a necessary and sufficient condition for an XP to be admitted in LI.authorsversionpublishe

(Re)thinking the Interface Hypothesis and its implications for language teaching

UID/LIN/03213/2013 PD/BD/52263/2013The interface between syntax and other domains has recently become a key area of interest in generative L2 acquisition. Much of the recent research on linguistic interfaces has been influenced by the Interface Hypothesis (IH) (Sorace & Filiaci, 2006), which claims that narrow syntactic properties are easy to acquire, whereas properties at the interface between syntax and other domains may not be fully acquirable. While some studies have supported the IH’s predictions, others (though in a smaller number) have produced results which disconfirm them (e.g. Lozano & Mendikoetxea, 2010; Kraš, 2011). Despite their relevance, some of the latter studies have been overlooked in reviews of the IH-related literature (e.g. Sorace, 2011). To date, the studies on the IH have made no attempts to explore its potential pedagogical implications. For these reasons, this paper aims to (i) discuss the IH in the light of recent findings on the L2 acquisition at the interfaces, (ii) identify key problems and open questions regarding the IH’s formulation, supporting evidence, scope and explanations for the L2 learners/speakers’ difficulties, and (iii) explain why the examination of such issues may contribute to advance the current understanding of the process of L2 acquisition at the interfaces and to inform teachers’ expectations of learners, selection of grammar contents and approaches to teaching interface properties.publishersversionpublishe

Referential and expletive subjects at the end-state of English L2 acquisition

UID/LIN/03213/2013 PD/BD/52263/2013This study investigates the acquisition of referential and expletive subjects in advanced and near-native English by L1 speakers of French and European Portuguese. Its results Its findings suggest that the syntax of subjects may give rise to significant developmental delays depending on L1-L2 combinations, but is completely acquirable in an L2.authorsversionpublishe

The case of locative inversion in L2 English

UID/LIN/03213/2013 PD/BD/52263/2013This study investigates the acquisition of locative inversion in advanced and near-native English by L1 speakers of French and European Portuguese. Its results lend support to the view that the syntax-discourse/pragmatics interface is a locus of residual, but permanent, optionality, because L2 speakers are less than optimally efficient at integrating syntactic and contextual information in real-time language use as a by-product of bilingualism.publishersversionpublishe

The syntax of subjects in advanced and near-native English

UID/LIN/03213/2013 PD/BD/52263/2013With a view to filling in a gap in SLA research, the present study investigates the acquisition of referential and expletive subjects and of the relative order of the subject and the verb in narrow and sentence focus contexts by L1-EP L2-English speakers and L1-French L2-English speakers.authorsversionpublishe

Regional innovation networks evolution and firm performance: one or two way causality?

Current research has revealed the existence of a relationship between networks and firm growth (Jarillo, 1989; Huggins, 2000). Nevertheless, network content and specificity and how these networks influence firm economic and financial performance has been little investigated. In addition, the influence of regions in relation to the spatial proximity on inter-firm networks should be an additional dimension taken into account if the determinants of firm performance are to be adequately understood. The most important linkages tend to be characterised by territorial closeness and have relevant effects over firm performance (Oerlemans and Meeus, 2002; Lechner and Dowling, 2003). Since automobile industry can be regarded as a worldwide cluster, where the evolution tendency on constructor’s behalf has been to gradually delegate technological competencies into industry suppliers, the regional networks acquire a renewed importance beyond the recognized benefits of sharing, interaction and reciprocity. Given that networks “do not happen in a virtual space where spatial proximity does not matter” (Lechner and Dowling, 2003: 9), the Portuguese inter-firm cooperation within the automotive industry can be regarded as a possible source of regional advantage for responding to globalisation competitive challenges. Thus, in this paper we explore how firms grow through the use of external linkages and become competitive, using case study material based on a Portuguese inter-firm network of the auto-parts industry (ACECIA) and one of its founding members, Simoldes. Using a set of performance indicators, we concluded that its positive evolution was contemporaneous and last beyond ACECIA´s constitution date. Moreover, evidence of possible leverage effects from the combined collaboration emerged indicating that the relation between networks and firm performance implies a two-way causality association.

The inhibitory concentration of natural food preservatives may be biased by the determination methods

The demand for natural antimicrobials as food preservatives has increased due to the growing interest of the population for a healthy lifestyle. The application of screening methods to identify the antimicrobial activity of natural compounds is of great importance. The in vitro determination of antimicrobial activity requires determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations to assess microbial susceptibility. This study aimed to evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentrations of three natural antimicrobial compounds-chitosan, ethanolic propolis extract, and nisin-against 37 microorganisms (different pathogens and spoilage microorganisms) by the methods of agar dilution and drop diffusion on agar. Culture media at different pH values were used for both methods to simulate different food products. Most of the microorganisms were inhibited by chitosan (0.5% w/v) and propolis (10 mg/mL), and most of the Gram-positive bacteria by nisin (25 mu g/mL). Different pH values and the in vitro method used influenced the inhibition of each compound. Generally, lower minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed at lower pH values and for the agar dilution method. Furthermore, some microorganisms inhibited by the compounds on the agar dilution method were not inhibited by the same compounds and at the same concentrations on the drop diffusion technique. This study reinforces the need for using defined standard methods for the in vitro determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations. Natural compounds with potential antimicrobial action are a bet on food preservation. The use of standard techniques such as those used for antimicrobials of clinical applications are crucial to compare results obtained in different studies and different matrices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio