University-industry interaction in Brazil

The author presents and discusses the planning and coordination of the research activities, extension programs, projects, and working plans generated by the agreement between Universidade Federal da Paraiba and Empresa Brasileira de Telecomunicacoes. He describes the history of the agreement and examines the initial steps, its management, the difficulties encountered and the proposed solutions, the working group coordination, and the established prejudices between university and industry. The possibilities of interaction initiatives to stimulate joint work and the identification of interest areas are also discussed