1. © European Communities, 2007 Objectives and methodology This paper presents a methodology for the assessment of future priorities for the development of core technological competences in a R&D national sector, which was tested and validated. within Embrapa, an important public agricultural research organization in Brazil, with some 2000 researches. The proposed assessment methodology has the following phases: a) technological core competence identification, made through analysis of economic investments return rates identified plant breeding as one core competence.; b) Identification and modeling of the knowledge production process related to the technological core competence identified,as shown in Figure 1; c) evaluation of the importance (current and future), capability and support (infra-structure) related to each knowledge sub-process; d) prioritization of core competences and infra-structure development/ investment needs (Lima et al., 2007). Contact Suzana M. Valle Lima Institute Name: EMBRAPA - BRAZIL Tel. +55 61 3448-4492 Fax + 55 61 3347-2061 E-mail: suzana.lima@embrapa.br NOTES 1.Poster Title Replace the mock-up text of the poster title (Joint Research Centre) with the text of your own title. Keep the original font colour (100c 80m 0y 0k). Keep the flush-right justification. Set it in Helvetica Rounded Bold Condensed, if you own the typeface. Otherwise, in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana – plain or bold. Keep the original font body size (102 pt or, preferably,120 pt) and the title on a single line whenever possible. Reduce the body size and/or set the title on more than one line only if unavoidable. 2.Poster Subtitle Replace the mock-up text of the poster subtitle (Place Your Poster Subtitle Here) with the text of your own subtitle. Keep the original font colour (black). Keep the flush-right justification. Set it in MetaPlusBook-Roman, if you own the typeface. Otherwise, in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana. 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Place any additional logos on the bottom of the poster, evenly spaced between the JRC and (if there is one) the Directorate or Institute logo, and vertically centred with them. 2008 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE A Methodology for the Assessment of Future Core Technological Competences, in an R&D Sector/Organization, Based on the Related Knowledge Production Process Suzana M. Valle Lima and Antônio Maria Gomes de Castro (Embrapa-BRAZIL) Plant germplasm Characters with economic value Crossing and/ or selection Evaluation of new genotypes Pre-breeding Genetics diversity access/characterization Genetic digital fingerprints Genetic mapping Gene function and structure Transgeny Doubled haploidy Cloning Somatic hybridization Genotypical selection Genetic polinization control system New genes New genotypes Pre-technological products Commercial varieties Plant breeding conventional sub-processes Plant breeding emerging sub-processes (biotechnology Plant breeding products Figure 1: Plant breeding knowledge generation process (Castro et al., 2006) The evaluation of the importance (current and future), capability and support (infra-structure) related to each knowledge sub-process were combined into measures of future capability and support needs: FN = I f * (10 – S a ), where FN=Future need (of capability or support), I f = Future importance of each subprocess, S a = Present situation (of capability or support). Results and Implications Figure 2 presents future needs of capability and support for plant breeding in the year 2012, for R&D public sector. Similar results were obtained for the Brazilian R&D private sector. Figure 2: Future needs (2012) of capability and support concerning public sector R&D in plant breeding. The methodology allows the identification of specific sets of meso competences and related organizational infra-structure which should be provided, in order to maintain sector/organization competitive performance, in the future, thus orienting the design and implementation of appropriate strategies for acquisition / development of competences/infra-structure, in the long run; it also allows a systematic investigation of alternative technological routes, without neglecting path dependence, and for an integrated strategy –R&D projects, competences and infra-structure – that is less prone to improvisation and adjustments, due to wrong or ill planned paths. References CASTRO, A. M. G., LIMA, S. M. V., LOPES, M. A., MACHADO, M. S., MARTINS, M. A. G. O Futuro do Melhoramento Genético Vegetal no Brasil: Impactos da biotecnologia e das leis da proteção do conhecimento. Brasília : Embrapa Informação Tecnológica, 2006, v.1. p.506. LIMA, S.M.V; CASTRO, A.M.G.; MACHADO, M.S. Metodologia de avaliação de necessidade futura de competências essenciais em organizações de P&D, com base no processo de geração do conhecimento. Revista Psicologia: Organizações e Trabalho, 7,2, 3-21, 2007.