Traditional models of information retrieval used on the web are inadequate for effective and quick search and the results are often numerous and irrelevant. On the other hand, models based on ontologies and semantic web technologies offer greater speed of access to information with relevant results. The goal of this research was to propose minimum necessary conditions for establishment of semantic potential of gateways. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the technical team responsible for homepages of federal public universities in southern Brazil, in order to identify tools and technologies used in these homepages. The main results presented were a diagnosis of ontology use in structuring the investigated university portals and the proposal of a framework containing the minimum necessary conditions to establish their semantic potential.