Brazil Budget Cuts: Scientists fear impact of new government cuts on research

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Europe

03:05

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has campaigned on promises to cut public spending and his latest target has Brazilian scientists worried about their short-term projects - and the long-term impact on Brazil's capacity for innovation. Our correspondent Paulo Cabral has this report from Sao Paulo.

There is great concern inside Brazil's research centers and laboratories. Fear, too that important projects and activities will be interrupted in the coming weeks and months, following the government's announcement of a 42% cut in the budget of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

This research coordinator at the federal university of Sao Paulo says about 60 projects approved for federal funding have been waiting for their grants since 2017. With the new budget cuts, it's even more unlikely the money will come in anytime soon.

BRUNO SILVA, PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SAO PAULO "This funding agency, the CNPQ, are selecting priorities. So far they have been prioritizing the payment of scholarships and not the research projects. But the students they cannot run the studies if the overall project is not funded, only the scholarship."

The president of Brazil's Society for the Advancement of Science says money has already been tight for years - and his members are prepared to challenge the new cuts.

ILDEU DE CASTRO, PRESIDENT BRAZILIAN SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE "Funds for science in Brazil are being reduced steadily since 2014. Our role as Brazil's scientific organizations is to fight to revert this situation but I can't be sure we'll be able to do this now."

PAULO CABRAL SAO PAULO "Most scientific research in Brazil is funded with government money through scholarships, research grants or resources sent to public institutions like the University of Sao Paulo. The problem is that the budget for science is often among the first to be hit whenever the government needs to cut expenses."

The director of the biosciences institute in Brazil's biggest university says government funding for basic science is essential - but acknowledges researchers need to find other sources of money, too.

LUIS CARLOS FERREIRA, DIRECTOR BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF SAO PAULO "This is a challenge that us in the academy, like here in the University of Sao Paulo, should accept and try to be more competitive in order to compete for international grants. We should also be capable to cooperate, to collaborate, to work in partnership with private sectors of the society, including companies."

The Ministry of Science said in a statement it's been negotiating within the government to get more resources and working to optimize the use of what's now available. But what many fear is that cutting science and research money now may help solve short-term financial problems -- but reduce the country's capacity for long-term innovation and development. Paulo Cabral, CGTN, Sao Paulo.