11/02/10

Brazil awaits approval of huge science budget

Will scientists receive a windfall? Copyright: Flickr/Joao Victor

By: Marina Ramalho

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>Brazil awaits approval of huge science budget</h1>
<h4>By: Marina Ramalho</h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p><span>[RIO DE JANEIRO] Brazil’s science community is waiting to see whether this year’s bumper science budget will be signed off without being cut.</span></p>
<p><span>President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved the budget, which is almost a third higher than last year’s, late last month (26 January). </span></p>
<p><span>If given final approval by Lula in March after being evaluated by the Ministry of Planning, it will be the first time since 1999 that the country’s core science budget — managed by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) — has not been cut during the approval process. </span></p>
<p><span>The Ministry of Science and Technology submitted a science budget of US$3.6 billion to congress in December last year, already an increase on 2009’s US$3.2 billion. But parliamentarians — some of whom can decide to provide additional money to specific activities — added a further US$500 million, resulting in a total budget of US$4.1 billion. </span></p>
<p><span>The budget is often cut by congress — which makes the increase by parliamentarians all the more unusual — and FNDCT’s core ‘sectoral funds’ for research are sometimes cut by the planning ministry. </span></p>
<p><span>The 2009 science budget was initially cut but eventually reinstated (see </span><span><a href="file:///C:%5CDocuments%20and%20Settings%5Caisirwi%5CLocal%20Settings%5CTemporary%20Internet%20Files%5CConfigura%C3%A7%C3%B5es%20locais%5CTemporary%20Internet%20Files%5CContent.IE5%5CC9QVCPIB%5CBrazil%27s%20government%20to%20make%20up%20for%20S&T%20budget%20cuts">Brazil’s government to make up for S&T budget cuts</a>). </span></p>
<p><span>"In the end, the [2009] cut didn’t affect the science and technology system as a whole but it generated an environment of uncertainty among the scientific community," Jacob Palis, president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, told <em>SciDev.Net</em>.</span></p>
<p><span>Palis said that the current budget is "very promising" but that the academic community must be cautious. </span></p>
<p><span>The ministry "has worked exhaustively" to show both congress and society the importance of science and technology (S&T) to the country’s development, said executive secretary Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Elias.</span></p>
<p><span>It is now coordinating the 4th National Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation, to be held in May, which will assess the success of the government’s 2007–2010 S&T plan and devise a new four-year strategy.</span></p>
<p><span>Elias said one of the conference’s main aims is to create a state policy on S&T to ensure enough money for science regardless of who the president is.</span></p>
<p><span>The 2007–2010 plan focused on 13 priority areas, including biotechnology, nanotechnology, biodiversity and climate change. Elias said the next plan must have a broader scope and take the next ten years into account. </span></p>
<p><span>Two further challenges, according to Palis, are linking research and innovation to the production system and both attracting and retaining new scientific talent.</span></p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/news/brazil-awaits-approval-of-huge-science-budget/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/global/news/brazil-awaits-approval-of-huge-science-budget/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

[RIO DE JANEIRO] Brazil’s science community is waiting to see whether this year’s bumper science budget will be signed off without being cut.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva approved the budget, which is almost a third higher than last year’s, late last month (26 January).

If given final approval by Lula in March after being evaluated by the Ministry of Planning, it will be the first time since 1999 that the country’s core science budget — managed by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT) — has not been cut during the approval process.

The Ministry of Science and Technology submitted a science budget of US$3.6 billion to congress in December last year, already an increase on 2009’s US$3.2 billion. But parliamentarians — some of whom can decide to provide additional money to specific activities — added a further US$500 million, resulting in a total budget of US$4.1 billion.

The budget is often cut by congress — which makes the increase by parliamentarians all the more unusual — and FNDCT’s core ‘sectoral funds’ for research are sometimes cut by the planning ministry.

The 2009 science budget was initially cut but eventually reinstated (see Brazil’s government to make up for S&T budget cuts).

"In the end, the [2009] cut didn’t affect the science and technology system as a whole but it generated an environment of uncertainty among the scientific community," Jacob Palis, president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, told SciDev.Net.

Palis said that the current budget is "very promising" but that the academic community must be cautious.

The ministry "has worked exhaustively" to show both congress and society the importance of science and technology (S&T) to the country’s development, said executive secretary Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Elias.

It is now coordinating the 4th National Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation, to be held in May, which will assess the success of the government’s 2007–2010 S&T plan and devise a new four-year strategy.

Elias said one of the conference’s main aims is to create a state policy on S&T to ensure enough money for science regardless of who the president is.

The 2007–2010 plan focused on 13 priority areas, including biotechnology, nanotechnology, biodiversity and climate change. Elias said the next plan must have a broader scope and take the next ten years into account.

Two further challenges, according to Palis, are linking research and innovation to the production system and both attracting and retaining new scientific talent.