Brazil needs to increase investment in science
The Secretary of Research and Development Policy and Programs of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC), Jailson de Andrade, said Brazil needs to increase investment in science if it wants to stand out internationally in the field. “The budget for the [Science] ministry today is still at the same level it was in 2001,” he said Wednesday (Jul. 6) at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC) in Bahia.
As part of the National Science and Technology Strategy, the MCTIC has set a target of using 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for investment in science, technology, and innovation by 2019. According to the ministry, this is the minimum ratio that would empower the country to compete with major global players in the sector.
Ministry data for 2013 show that Brazil invests only 1.66% of its GDP in science and technology, which puts the country in 70th place in the Global Innovation Index.
Launched in May, the National Strategy for Science and Technology focuses on 11 key areas: aerospace and defense; water; food; biomes and bioeconomy; social sciences and technologies; climate; digital society and economy; energy; nuclear; health; and converging and enabling technologies.
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Brazil needs to increase investment in science
