06/09/2019

Rio will fund PIC and PICME scholarships for medalists in the state.

The government of the State of Rio de Janeiro announced, this Thursday (5), that it will assume the scholarships of the Rio de Janeiro medalists of the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP). In a ceremony at the Guanabara Palace (RJ), the governor, Wilson Witzel, signed a Protocol of Intentions between the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Faperj) and the State Development Agency of Rio de Janeiro (AgeRio). Faperj will finance, starting in October, 313 scholarships from PIC Jr. and 46 scholarships from PICME, in a total monthly investment of R$ 49,700.

Also signing the protocol were the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Leonardo Rodrigues; the Secretary of State for Economic Development, Employment and International Relations, Lucas Tristão; the President of the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Jerson Lima Silva; and the President of the Rio de Janeiro State Development Agency (AgeRio), Alexandre Rodrigues.

Upon opening the event, the Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Wilson Witzel, congratulated those involved in the initiative. Witzel also expressed his satisfaction in finalizing the partnership. "I am very happy to see that this funding is being allocated to scientific research."

The action seeks to remedy, at the state level, the non-renewal of scholarships for OBMEP medalists enrolled in the Scientific Initiation and Master's Program (PICME), starting in August, and the lack of resources from CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) for the PIC Jr. (Junior Scientific Initiation Program) starting in September. Aimed at medalists from Basic Education, the PIC Jr. offers a monthly scholarship of R $ 100 to 6,000 students awarded in each edition of OBMEP. The PICME is aimed at university students and grants a monthly scholarship of R $ 400 to 650 students throughout Brazil.

The deputy director of IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics), Claudio Landim, attended the ceremony and said that, despite the good news, the cut in scholarships for OBMEP medalists remains a cause for concern. “While we are solving an immediate problem, the concern is that CNPq will feel absolved of responsibility and will not mobilize to find funding to grant these scholarships next year. This is a one-off measure that solves the problem in the state of Rio, but it does not solve the problem for the majority of students,” he said.

The president of Faperj, Jerson Lima Silva, highlighted the importance of the initiative: “The State of Rio is one of the largest producers of knowledge in Brazil. We have all these projects that get lost when budget cuts occur. That's why this partnership is a great relief for the scientific community.”

The situation regarding scholarships for students from other states in the country remains uncertain.