The Brazilian Army's Technology-Based Business Incubator: Innovation for the National Defense Industry

The Brazilian Army, fulfilling its constitutional mission of defense of national sovereignty, seeks to be a deterrence vector. For the Brazilian Army, dissuasion is the foremost strategy, in which science, technology and innovation play a major role. Based on this, the Brazilian Armys Science and Technology System underwent a recent broad process of restructuring, following a growing strategic prioritization of the area of Science and Technology in Brazil. Considering its mission of stimulating, supporting and enabling technology and management for entrepreneurial initiatives in its scientific and technologic system, the Brazilian Army started its business incubator: Brazilian Armys Techonology-Based Business Incubator, or IETEx (acronym in Portuguese). IETEx provides businesses incubated an infrastructure that goes beyond physical space, equipment, computers and Internet access. It provides access to laboratories, cooperation in projects, training and different kinds of support. This paper aims at presenting IETEx, which, however recent, has already proved to be a key-element in the Brazilian Armys strategy to incorporate the culture and the mechanisms for technology innovation into its Science and Technology System.