30/10/2024

Opinion article in Globo: ‘Science is not a bargaining chip’

The possibility of the resignation of the president of Faperj (Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support in the State of Rio de Janeiro), doctor Jerson Lima Silva, has sparked outrage in the scientific community. In the article “Science is not a bargaining chip” published on Wednesday (30) in the newspaper O Globo, the president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), Helena Nader, and the president of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), Renato Janine Ribeiro, said that the decision was made “in order to serve purely partisan interests”.

“We therefore feel duty-bound to alert Rio de Janeiro and Brazilian society to the importance of preserving a heritage that was laboriously built for the benefit of the state and the country,” the scientists said.

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In the text, Nader and Ribeiro also explained the importance of science remaining above partisan controversies. “First of all, governments know, or should know, that scientific research is not carried out for the benefit of scientists, but for society as a whole. Today’s economy depends more and more on rigorous knowledge, generated in laboratories and research groups. That’s why investment in science – as carried out by the research support foundations in the various states – is a precious element for the future of populations, both for economic productivity and for good social policies. That’s why, where growth is greatest, science takes precedence over partisan controversies, as can be seen in the United States and China.” Read the full article here.

In addition to the position of the ABC and the SBPC, various scientific organizations and researchers have also spoken out. On the internet, a public petitioncalling for Lima to remain in office, already has 24,100 signatures.

Faperj

Faperj was created in 1980, under the State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation, to promote science, technology and innovation in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The foundation awards scholarships and grants to researchers and institutions to stimulate activities in the scientific and technological fields and to support projects and programs of academic and research institutions based in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Around 9,000 research fellows from federal, state and private institutions are linked to Faperj.