Aspects of design management in the context of technological innovation centers

The organizational structure of the Technological Innovation Centers (NITs) integrates diverse and complex management routines that, in general, impact on the capacity of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ICTs) to effect the transfer of technology. In this sense, the NITs seek means and tools capable of assisting in the operationalization of these administrative processes. Among the various possibilities, this article brings, in particular, the conceptual approach to design management. Design management establishes recommendations for the use of design resources according to institutional goals. Based on this approach, the article aims to identify management activities within the NITs and their relationship with design management. To this end, a literature review was carried out to build the theoretical framework, a documentary research to survey the innovation policy indicators (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação e Comunicação [MCTI], 2019) and application of a likert-type questionnaire in consultation with five technological innovation environments in the region Northeast of Brazil. The study is classified as applied research with a qualitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive objective. The research showed that despite the understanding of the potential of design to promote technological innovation, design management is not a practice systematically integrated into the management processes of the NIT. Subsequently, it was possible to present a set of propositions for the application of design management that support the combination of the essential and complementary activities of the NIT for the transfer of technology.