Ricardo Galvão assumes the presidency of CNPq – 01/17/2023 – Science

Physicist Ricardo Galvão, former director of INPE (National Institute for Space Research), assumed the presidency of CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) this Tuesday (17) in a ceremony marked by emotion and by the announcement of the recomposition part of the budget of the FNDCT (National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development), the main public instrument for funding science in the country.

The choice of the 75-year-old researcher was anticipated by Sheet and celebrated at this Tuesday’s event, attended by diplomats, deans and researchers such as Renato Janine Ribeiro, president of SBPC (Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science), and Helena Nader, president of ABC (Brazilian Academy of Sciences).

In his speech, Galvão made several acknowledgments, including recognition of the work of public servants, and shared a reflection on the clash with former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), which took place in 2019.

In July of that year, when asked by the foreign press about the high levels of deforestation alerts that had been registered by Inpe’s Deter system, Bolsonaro said he was “convinced” that the data were “lies” and accused Galvão of being “at the service of some NGO”.

The researcher reacted immediately and, in an interview with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, criticized the attitude of the then president, who dismissed him two weeks later. Inpe’s monitoring, however, continued to show, month after month, that deforestation in the Amazon continued unabated.

After the clash, Galvão was chosen by Nature magazine as one of the ten most important people for science in 2019 and, in 2021, he was awarded the international prize for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility granted by the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Science).

“Could it be that after about 50 years of professional life dedicated to giving the best of myself to the growth of science in the country, would I see a huge setback in my last years of activity?”, said Galvão this Tuesday (17), remembering the support he received from colleagues and entities and the thoughts that afflicted him after his resignation.

“It is clear that I and other fellow researchers were not dragged through the streets of our cities. We were suffering not physically, but in the core of our souls devoted to the sovereignty of science due to the perversely denialist attacks of a crazy government”, he added.

Visibly moved, Galvão stated that the denialist truculence was defeated and that the ceremony and appointment of Professor Mercedes Bustamante to chair Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) prove that Brazilian science has survived.

“Today, we turn this sad page of our history with the conviction that science will once again promote great advances”, he said before ending with a quote from Guimarães Rosa: “The flow of life envelops everything. That’s life. : heats up and cools down, tightens and then loosens, calms down and then unrests. What she wants from us is courage.”

feature announcement

Galvão’s speech was followed by Evaldo Vilela, former president of CNPq, and the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos (PCdoB), who announced the first measures to guarantee resources for the area.

“Today I am pleased to announce the complete recomposition of the FNDCT budget and the end of the limits imposed by MP 1136, edited by the previous government and which will expire in the first days of February”, he said.

The provisional measure imposes limits on the use of FNDCT resources, which have been subject to successive blocks. Between 2010 and 2021, it is estimated that R$ 35 billion will no longer be invested in science in Brazil and the guarantee of fund resources was one of the measures that, in the scientists’ view, should be prioritized at the beginning of management.

“With the full release of resources from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, the main public instrument for funding science, we ended a long period of neglect and devaluation of scientific research and technological development in the country”, added the minister.

Santos also announced that the ministry will once again hold the National Conference on Science and Technology and will maintain continuous contact with the scientific community.