But how is the innovation produced by a university measured? The evaluation of innovative performance can be done in various ways, as seen in the different existing rankings. For example, the recently published Folha University Ranking (RUF), which keeps USP in the overall lead, places it in the third position when it comes to Innovation, which constitutes 4% of a university’s total score. The RUF considers two criteria: “patents filed,” which USP leads, and “articles in collaboration with companies,” where it ranks 17th. We did not find how this index is calculated, but if it is merely “quantity,” as described, it deserves reflection.
The Leiden Ranking 2025 reveals the international dimension of USP: of the 45,761 articles published by USP – 19th place in the world – 2,549 were in partnership with companies. Thus, USP occupies the 80th global position in collaboration with industry, leading in Brazil and the only Ibero-Latin American university among the top 200 in this indicator. Considering the percentage of collaboration with industry in relation to total production, USP records 5.6%, only falling behind PUC-RJ’s 6.2% (134 collaborative works out of a total of 2,151 works produced).
Perhaps RUF made a connection between the amount of production in collaboration with industries and the total number of professors. If that’s the case, what would explain smaller institutions being ahead of USP seems mistaken. USP is enormous and diverse, with research ranging from Tupi grammar to vehicle electrification, and it is clear that the university and society benefit from this diversity. It is clear that not all research produced (19th in the world, as already mentioned) has to be in collaboration with or integrated into the industry. The abundant basic and pure research, collaboration with governments and the third sector, among others, are predicates and virtues of the University, not problems and weaknesses.
We believe that true innovation transcends publication metrics and needs to reflect benefits to society. USP has built an unparalleled ecosystem in the country: it hosts nine Embrapii units (the highest number nationally), nine Applied Research Centers (CPA), 14 Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (RIDC), and 32 Science Centers for Development (CCD) – the latter three groups funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) – totaling 64 innovation-producing networks. This last group should be highlighted, where the logic of innovation goes beyond the strictly “technological” dimension, providing access to the development of social innovations and public policies. There is no shortage of recent impactful innovations: from the commercial launch of high-purity cannabidiol – the only Brazilian product – to the implementation of the green hydrogen pilot plant, and the CAR-T cell therapy against certain types of cancer, USP has a considerable portfolio of impactful innovations.
This ecosystem is complemented by four startup incubators, two technology parks – one of which is in the implementation phase and exclusively dedicated to agribusiness – and thousands of companies with DNA-USP®. Therefore, it is not surprising that USP has led the Entrepreneurial University Ranking (RUE) in four of its five editions, including 2024. In the near future, we will have the International Innovation Institute, I3, a new unit at the Butantã Campus aimed at integration with innovation centers of small and large companies, from national and international partners.
Brazilian universities collaborate intensely with national development, not out of whim, but because it is the Brazilian society, embedded in the knowledge economy, that demands it. The 2004 Innovation Legal Framework expresses this demand, amplified by actors such as CNI and MEI. Brazilian innovation – and particularly that of USP – deserves to be adequately measured and monitored because, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), our innovation ecosystems stand out as rare highlights in the Latin American scenario, mapping the 100 largest innovative locations in the world.
May the RUF be celebrated, therefore, but let its benefit translate into more effective public policies, expanded access to health, strengthening of the economy, technological sovereignty, and democratization of education. The social impact of the university is better measured by external indicators, connected with the different sectors of society. This is the debate that truly matters and is worth delving into.
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(The opinions expressed in the articles published in Jornal da USP are the sole responsibility of their authors and do not reflect the opinions of the outlet or the institutional positions of USP. Read our editorial parameters for opinion articles here).
