Science & Technology in Brazil

In the same way as the physical infrastructure, the science and technology infrastructure is also a determining element of the systemic competitiveness. 

 

In current technological paradigms the competition bases itself in growing interaction and intensive use of science and technology. Technical knowledge is not enough for efficient production; enterprises need the capacity to innovate and to adequate products and processes to strict technical and environmental regulations. This kind of technological capacity requires efforts and investments - of high costs and risk - in research and development (R&D) from the companies themselves. For that, the interaction of enterprises with S&T infrastructure becomes essential.

 

Investment in technology: guarantee of development for the domestic industry

 

In the 80`s and especially in the first half of the 90`s, there has been in Brazil, a persistent and profound weakening of the institutions of research and S&T infrastructure in general. They have lost their human and financial resources and little developed their ties with the productive sector. Today research institutions are highly concerned with inside matters, the concession of grants concentrates strongly in pure science, and the important functions of technology information, standardisation and metrology are found restricted and antiquated in comparison to international requirements. Therefore it is essential the recovering and strengthening of this S&T basis, rendering it more sensitive to the needs of the productive sector and society as a whole, and concerned with the formation of human resources and the development of innovative capacity.