The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are the developing countries with the most prospective

economic growth in the next generation. Many factors, such as natural resources, land and a

large and cheap labor market contributes to the economic growth of this countries. However,

in a knowledge-based economy, innovation is far more important than land, physical capital, or

labor as the primary factor affecting a nation’s economic growth and development. Thus, given

the importance of the studies of NIS (national innovation system) in the BRIC countries, this

research is to characterize and compare the NIS of the four countries pointing out differences

and similarities, common bottlenecks and complementarities, as well as identifying current and

potential connections. Particular attention will be given to discuss policy implications and put

forward policy recommendations, extract lessons that can be useful not only for these countries

but also for other developing countries