The advancement of research in innovation management has proven crucial for better preparing companies for this practice. Among other important themes that emphasize the performance of innovation efforts are project selection and the proper management of the portfolio within the company. This requires the development and implementation of tools and processes for organization and decision support. With the aim of deepening the frontier knowledge on project portfolio management in innovative companies, Professor Leonardo Santiago from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, along with students from the same university and Natura, will develop a project funded by Natura throughout 2012, with results expected to be published in 2013.
For Natura, the contract established with UFMG and the Christiano Ottoni Foundation is very important for the rapprochement between the involved institutions and also for the greater opening of research funded in the field of applied social sciences such as innovation management. According to the project’s lead researcher at Natura, Paula Oliveira, “this interaction represents an opportunity to deeply combine academic knowledge with the practical experience of a company that has as one of its activities the management process of the project portfolio in science and technology, seeking, in a second moment, to expand the possibilities for continuous improvement of this management in Natura's innovation process.”
