The drop of investments in science and technology, and how it affected the Brazilian economy

The science and technology industry has recently suffered from reduced investments of the Brazilian
government, having a profound impact on the economy consequently. In the ranking of countries with
most qualified professionals in the area, Brazil has suffered a huge drop, moving 25 positions down –
from the 45 th , to the 70 th . This happened because, in the previous years, most of these professionals
have moved out of Brazil, as other countries provide larger salaries and better working conditions.

Brazil fails to see the importance of scientific and technological advancements and development, unlike
other countries. The immigration of intellectuals in the industry coincides with the reduction of the
budget of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, technology, and Innovation, which has lost half of its
resources from 2015 to 2016 and continued decreasing over the years. In Brazilian laboratories,
scientists lack resources for research, opportunities, and conditions for work.

“The level of investment by federal agencies in science, technology and innovation in the country is at
levels of ten years ago. So, the number of postgraduate scholarships dropped a lot, which in Brazil is
closely linked to research carried out in universities, in research institutes.,” said Ana Maria Carneiro, a
researcher at the Public Policy Studies Nucleus at Unicamp.

The Brazilian government must increase its investments in education for the younger generation, which
will be key in guiding and shaping the Brazilian economy to a better and more prosperous future.

​Written by: Henrique Sampaio
Edited by: Anna Kissajikian