Brazilian science, who would have thought, has an advantage – 04/16/2024 – Suzana Herculano-Houzel

I had a revelation recently. No, the scientific research financing system in Brazil did not suddenly become wonderful in my eyes. It can’t be, because there aren’t enough funds to finance anything properly, so the result continues to be a scattering of meager crumbs, pro-forma financing that’s barely visible to English.

But, if it had funds, the Brazilian system would be an example for the rest of the planet, for a simple, banal, and so, so beautiful reason — a reason represented by the name of the most important CNPq financing program, the Brazilian government body responsible for supporting his science: the Universal Call.

(Parentheses to explain the importance of the CNPq for science in the country. Research is carried out by researchers, and both parts cost money. The researchers are either certified professors, and therefore employed by a government and paid by it [ou uma rara universidade privada, como a PUC], or they are “students” or “post-doctors” funded by “scholarships” from a state Research Support Foundation — the FAPs — or from a federal agency such as CNPq. Research, outside of possible industries, used to be entirely supported by FAPs and CNPq; the alternative, which is private financing, only began to exist seriously in Brazil with the creation of the Serrapilheira Institute, in 2017. Therefore, Brazilian science is essentially the size of the investment that the government makes in it. Close parentheses.)

When I became a researcher at UFRJ, the name was Universal Notice, and unfair competition was a huge problem: only researchers who were already in the system and receiving funding would receive funding. Now there is an entrance lane, like a little pool for children to play in and who knows, maybe they will be promoted to the adult pool.

For those who think I’m mocking you, I reiterate that the pool is essential, because in the adult pool, it’s not enough to float: you need to arrive in a good position to gain financial support. Cruel, but come on. Competition is necessary when there are not enough funds for everyone, and the “solution” of giving a crumb to everyone doesn’t take anyone away.

Anyway, the important part remains: the Call for support requests is Universal. Universal means that it does not matter, in principle, whether the topic of the research proposal is cancer, neuroscience, aerospace engineering or nutrition. It doesn’t matter if it’s basic or applied research. All projects are evaluated, each by its specific committee, but the objective is one: to contribute to “the scientific and technological development and innovation of the country, in any area of ​​knowledge”.

And that’s beautiful because no one needs to fantasize about their science. In Brazil, I never needed to resort to remote applications of my research on the basics of neuroscience.

In the USA, the closest equivalent to the universality of the CNPq is the National Science Foundation (NSF), which also has its problems, starting with limited funding. The rich cousin is the National Institutes of Health (NIH), whose funding is disputed as the crowning glory of the Independent Researcher.

The truth, however, is that the NIH has its own agenda. The directors of the various programs define the type of science they want — and the researchers, “outsourced” at universities, work to adapt. “Academic freedom” depends on the rebelliousness and creativity of researchers to make do with what they (don’t) have. Hmm. Where have I seen this before?

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