A Innovation Agency of the State University of Campinas (Inova Unicamp), in conjunction with Dean of Postgraduate Studies (PRPG) announced the launch of a new discipline focused on the concepts of intellectual property, technology transfer and entrepreneurshipThe course will be offered as an elective to regular postgraduate students from all areas of Unicamp, with the goal of expanding the transformative potential of academic research into solutions that can be applied in society.
This initiative also aims to support training in tracks related to entrepreneurship, innovation, and development for graduate programs that adhere to it. Postgraduate Professional Development Program (PAPG).
Call of Knowledge and Innovation Trail, the course debuts on the official Unicamp calendar in March 2026, under the code IN001For this first class, the following were opened 50 vacanciesRegistrations must be completed via Academic Board (DAC), following the University's schedule, which allows the course hours to be counted as credits on the academic transcript.
Course structure and content
The subject offers content for those who wish to understand the Strategic use of intellectual property (IP) as a tool for innovation., to leverage partnerships and generate new business. With a total workload of 60 hours long. — divided between 30 hours of in-person classes and 30 hours of guided study — the classes will take place on Tuesdays, from 10 am to 12 pm, at the Barão Geraldo campus in Campinas.
Among the topics that will be addressed are the uses of IP in technology-based businessesThe asset protection strategies and strategic use of technological information contained in patent documents for research. Students will also have access to concepts of technology transfer and negotiation dynamicsconcluding with concepts of entrepreneurship and pathways for technologies generated at the University to transform into startups.
The person responsible for the subject is the professor. Renato Lopes, executive director of Inova Unicamp and professor at School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC) at Unicamp. According to Lopes, the discipline seeks to meet the demand for practical knowledge about How to convert inventions into products, processes, or services.whether through licensing for the industry or by creation of academic spin-offs (companies whose core business is based on knowledge from Unicamp).
"The new discipline seeks to provide support and broaden the dissemination of communication and culture regarding intellectual property, technology transfer, and technological entrepreneurship to the university audience, especially postgraduate students, presenting ways in which university technologies can generate advances for national industry," said Lopes.
From the laboratory to the market
The distinguishing feature of IN001 is its focus on tangible results. To achieve this, the curriculum is structured around four pillars:
- Use of IP in technology-based businesses: Introduction to intellectual property.
- Prior art search and invention disclosure: Invention protection strategy, market strategy, and communication, with practical exercises.
- Transforming research into a business: Dynamics of negotiation, use and commercialization of assets.
- Workshop for creating a startup: Conceptual basis of entrepreneurship, application of the Canvas model, and pitch presentation techniques.
At the end of the course, there will be a presentation of the pitches to a final panel.
“The launch of the new course reiterates Unicamp's role in innovation and technological entrepreneurship. We want students to leave the classroom knowing not only how to research or about the importance of communicating an invention that can become a patent, but also how to ensure that their knowledge or invention reaches the market and generates social, economic, and environmental impact,” says the course coordinator.
Unicamp is the university that more patent applications in the state of São Paulo and the third largest in the country, according to National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). In addition, it was elected the Brazil's most entrepreneurial university based on the 2025 Index of Entrepreneurial Higher Education Institutions (IESE), from the Brazilian Confederation of Junior Enterprises (Brasil Júnior), developed by the Junior Enterprise Movement (MEJ).
History of the Knowledge Trail
This is the second course directly taught by the Technological Innovation Center (NIT) at Unicamp. It complements the course offered. Intellectual Property, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Contemporary Themes (AM037/TP386), which has been running since 2008 and focuses on entrepreneurial careers.
The creation of IN001 is the result of a cooperation agreement between Inova Unicamp and the the French Patent & Trademark Office (INPI), signed in 2022. Previous experience with the training course “Inova em Ação – Trilha do Conhecimento”, offered for two consecutive years (2024 e 2025) served as the embryo for the offering of the discipline Knowledge and Innovation Trail.
“The two-year experience with the Inova em Ação – Trilha de Conhecimento program has shown us that students and researchers are eager to understand the value of their work. Now, we are integrating these themes into the official postgraduate curriculum, ensuring that the knowledge generated within the University also resonates with legal certainty and business vision outside the university,” concludes Lopes.
