Research Collaboration Dynamics at the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN): Pathways to Enhance Economic and Social Impact

The growing recognition of university-industry collaborations as a strategic alternative for economic and social development at regional and national levels has fostered a continuous academic (and political) debate. Moreover, university-industry collaboration emerges as a strategic pathway for research production, particularly in developing and emerging countries. However, there is a scarcity of studies on university-industry collaboration oriented towards research production, as well as on its respective impacts, especially economic and social ones. To help fill this gap, this research examined the dynamics of research collaboration of the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), as well as its respective scientific, economic, and social impacts over the past three decades – the longest available data series, which adds originality and novelty to the research. Based on a descriptive and evaluative informetric analysis of internationally indexed publications in the Scopus (Elsevier) database, accessed through the SciVal platform, it was found that publications co-authored by CNEN with industry, government, and international actors, although less frequent, achieved greater resonance and influence in international knowledge networks, attracted more attention and interest from the international community, significantly exceeding the average expectation for similar publications, and exerted a more significant influence on patentable technologies and public policy formulation. These results may be useful for informing policies, guiding pathways to increase the prolificacy and impact of research.