History
The PPGEGC was the first Graduate Program in Knowledge Engineering and Management to be created in Brazil. It was officially launched in May 2004, at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, in the city of Florianopolis.
The epistemological maturity of the PPGEGC has been built since the 1980. Throughout the time, the Program has addressed its topics of interest according to the contemporary global agenda. They include: cognition, applied intelligence, corporate education, production systems, total quality, environmental management, sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation, among others.
In 1985, the Graduate Program in Production Engineering (PPGEP) expanded its areas of concentration and lines of research, giving rise to a new approach to knowledgebased on interdisciplinarity. As a result of this expansion, the PPGEGC was created with three areas of concentration: knowledge engineering, knowledge management, and knowledge media.
In 2008, the Department of Knowledge Engineering (dEGC) was established with the purpose of offering several undergraduate courses at UFSC to develop an interdisciplinary vision on contemporary and emerging issues.
Throughout its history, PPGEGC has won several awards and established national and international partnerships. In the last quadrennial evaluation carried out by CAPES [1], it obtained grade 6, out of a maximum of 7, consolidating it as a program of excellence.
PPGEGC has already received more than 4000 applications for the Master’s program and almost 3000 for the doctoral program. Annually, it receives more than 500 applicants who compete for 70 places opened every year (35 for the master’s and 35 for the doctoral program). The Program has developed more than 500 master’s- and doctoral-level researchers, and about 30 postdoctoral researchers.
Our alumni reinforce the relational capital of PPGEGC. They are qualified to develop technical-scientific knowledge by applying methods, practices and instruments which contribute to different types of knowledge (collective, organizational or regional) and, specifically, to the advance of the Knowledge Management Systems (KMS).
The Program’s results are evidenced by the high quality of research carried out within PPGEGC; as well as by the relationships established among the Program, its graduates and the different sectors of society (business, government, R&D and third sector). Since its foundation, the PPGEGC has focused on the need for interaction among different actors within regional and national systems of Science, Technology and Innovation, which is seen as an integral part of the evolution of the study of knowledge.
PPGEGC conducts research and development (P&D) projects through partnerships with the government sector, enabling scholarships, grants, and fundings for innovation projects. Also, the Program has invested in collaborative projects aimed at social insertion or focused on the integration of methods, techniques, and practices (of management, engineering or knowledge media) applied to society and to business or governmental organizations.
These initiatives led the Program to create the Sustainable Knowledge and Innovation Network, which enhances the research and training environment by bringing students, professors and other stakeholders closer to the challenges experienced in the contemporary world.
[1] The Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior is a government agency linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Education in charge of promoting high standards for graduate programs in Brazil
