Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development

Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
Name	Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
Native name	Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Formation	1951
Type	Research funding agency
Headquarters	Brasília, Distrito Federal
Parent organization	Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development is a federal agency created to support scientific research, technological development and researcher training in Brazil. It operates within Brazil's public administration alongside institutions such as the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the University of São Paulo, the State University of Campinas and national laboratories including the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. The council has shaped policies linked to agencies and programs like the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, the FINEP finance agency, the CAPES/FAPESP funding ecosystem and international instruments including the Newton Fund and the Horizon 2020 framework.

History

The agency was established in 1951 during the administration of Getúlio Vargas and early cooperation with entities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation. Throughout the Brazilian military government (1964–1985) and the New Republic era it partnered with institutions including the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science, the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon, the National Research Council (Canada), the National Science Foundation (United States), the European Research Council and the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology. Reform phases linked to laws such as the Lei de Inovação and the Marco Legal da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação redefined its role alongside state foundations like Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo and municipal projects in cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília and Recife.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror those of other national agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the Conseil national de la recherche scientifique in France. The council is overseen by a presidency and councils that coordinate with ministries including the Ministry of Education (Brazil), the Ministry of Health (Brazil), the Ministry of Environment (Brazil) and state secretariats in Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia. Advisory boards include representatives from universities like the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, research institutes such as the Butantan Institute, the Embrapa network, and professional societies such as the Brazilian Chemical Society, the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science and the Brazilian Society of Physics.

Funding Programs and Grants

The council administers scholarship and grant schemes comparable to programmes such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the Fulbright Program, the Gates Foundation initiatives and the European Research Council grants. Core instruments include fellowships for undergraduate, master's and doctoral candidates, productivity grants similar to awards from the Royal Society, targeted calls for projects in collaboration with FAPs like FAPERJ and FAPESP, and thematic notices aligned with priorities of CNPq counterparts such as FINEP and international funders like the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the International Development Research Centre. Competitive processes reference evaluation norms established by panels drawing on expertise from institutions including the University of Brasília, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, the National Museum of Brazil and regional universities in Amazonas and Pernambuco.

Research and Development Initiatives

Initiatives span basic research, applied science and technology transfer in sectors involving partners like Embrapa, the Institute Butantan, the Aeronautics Institute of Technology, the Brazilian Space Agency, the Petrobras Research Center and industrial consortia in Campinas and São José dos Campos. Projects have addressed topics connected to the Amazon rainforest, the Iguaçu National Park, tropical diseases associated with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, renewable energy research akin to programmes at the National Institute for Space Research, and materials science collaborations with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the University of São Paulo. The agency has supported networks and observatories including collaborations with the Southeastern Regional Observatory, the Brazilian Oceanographic Institute and interinstitutional centers linked to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

International Cooperation

International engagement includes bilateral and multilateral agreements with organizations such as the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and national agencies such as the National Council of Science and Technology (Mexico), the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Cooperative projects have linked Brazilian universities to consortia including the Global Research Council and partnerships with research centers in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and South Africa.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations compare performance metrics with agencies such as the National Science Foundation (United States), the European Research Council, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Impact indicators include numbers of scholarship holders, publications in journals like Science and Nature, patent filings with the National Institute of Industrial Property (Brazil), technology transfers to firms including Embraer and the diffusion of research through museums such as the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences and the National Museum of Brazil. Academic assessments involve collaborations with think tanks and bodies like the Institute for Applied Economic Research, the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning and international evaluators from the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Category:Research funding agencies Category:Science and technology in Brazil