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RESUMO O presente trabalho analisou os impactos dos esforços inovativos, medidos pelos investimentos em Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, sobre o crescimento das vendas, considerando diferentes "graus de proximidade" com a fronteira. Para testar a hipótese, foi construído um modelo de regressão multinível considerando 1.500 firmas com dados financeiros de 2012. Foi calculada a Produtividade Total dos Fatores de cada firma e construído um índice de proximidade com a fronteira (firma com maior produtividade). Os resultados demonstram que firmas situadas próximo à fronteira empregam os recursos de P&D com maior eficiência, obtendo estimativas de crescimento superior em relação às firmas mais afastadas.

This paper aims to discuss the main appropriability mechanisms used by biotech firms to avoid imitation and appropriate the economic benefits from crop innovations. To this end, we analyze the strategic links between the technological development of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and the ownership rights over plant transformation technologies. We also discuss a key case study - the legal battle between Monsanto and Syngenta by the control of the GMO crops derived from the GA21 gene. Our findings show that a system of blocking patents has been built basically through strategies relating to intellectual property mechanisms. As result, Monsanto's efforts to sue competitors for patent infringement have proved to be a successful barrier to entry in plant biotechnology industry.

Urban living laboratories: Opportunities for modelling sustainability transitions Here, a group of academics present Urban Living Laboratories to study sustainable food production systems, using systems dynamic modelling to analyse policy alternatives. Urban Living Laboratories (ULLs) have shown first promising signs of being valuable platforms for understanding transition phenomena. To address our time’s diverse grand societal challenges (like climate change and biodiversity loss), we must transition to truly sustainable systems, possibly the most significant shift facing modern civilisations. Such transitions involve coupled technological, social, economic and environmental shifts and demand transformative approaches with new forms of organisation and management.