Avaliação do impacto econômico e social gerado por uma universidade por meio de suas empresas filhas: proposta de modelo e sua aplicação em uma universidade brasileira

Abstract

Universities are taking on an increasingly strategic role in economic and social development. One of the ways a university impacts society is through its alumni-founded companies — companies created by the university’s graduates — generating jobs, income, and development. But how can these alumni-founded companies be identified, and how can their socioeconomic impact be measured? Objectives: This study proposes and tests the Cross Match Model to measure, at an institutional scale, the impact generated by universities through their alumni-founded companies. Method: The Model is based on cross-referencing alumni information with business information. To identify a university’s alumni-founded companies, the name and/or taxpayer ID (CPF) of each graduate is searched in a business information service, enabling the identification of companies linked to each graduate. To evaluate the Model, it was applied at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Results: The names of 43,735 graduates from 1970 to 2024 were queried in a digital business information service, resulting in the identification of 13,720 companies founded by 6,857 graduates from UFSCar undergraduate programs. Indicators were generated on companies that were still active (62.7%), sectors of activity, companies by program, campus, and field of knowledge (62.8% Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; 18.1% Humanities and Social Sciences; and 19.1% Biological and Health Sciences), company creation over the decades, geographic distribution, and company size (Microenterprise 56.9%, Small Business 11.9%, and Other Sizes 31.2%). Economic impact indicators were also generated: estimated revenue, taxes due, share of municipal, state, and national revenues, and the financial return on resources invested in alumni education. In addition, indicators were produced on serial entrepreneurship and on alumni roles within the companies. Contributions: The study contributes by proposing and testing a Model to assess the impact of universities on the economy and society through their alumni-founded companies. Compared to other approaches, the Model showed potential to be replicable, automatable, and to more comprehensively identify university impact through their alumni-founded companies. By organizing insights from the literature and addressing a little-explored method, the research also helps improve understanding of the topic and its possibilities. Future research: We suggest applying the Model to other universities, enabling comparisons and the generation of indicators for the entire set of universities. These advances could improve the assessment of university impact and the return on invested resources, and could further promote greater public recognition of higher education institutions as agents that foster economic development and social progress.