SBPC President: ‘Brazil’s development passes through science and democracy’

The SBPC and the Brazilian Association for the Advancement of Science and the Federal University of Paraná, in Curitiba, will hold between July 23-29 the 75th Annual Meeting of the SBPC, with the theme “Science and Democracy for a Fair and Developed Brazil”.

SBPC annual meetings have been held since 1949 with the aim of discussing public policies in the fields of science, technology, innovation, education and dissemination of scientific developments in various fields of knowledge to the entire population.

The President of the SBPC, Professor Renato Jeanine Ribeiro, spoke with O Tempo and talked about the expectations for the first meeting after the change of government, the effects suffered by the cuts in Brazilian science resources in recent years and the perspectives for the coming years.

the time: What are the prospects for this 75th meeting of the Environmental Protection Committee, which is the first after the change of government?

Renato Jeanine Ribeiro: We have had a very difficult time, in a government that was openly against science and very reactionary to education. These were the years that made it clear that we brought together our priority, which is science, but also education, culture, technology, innovation, social inclusion, health and the environment, which are common points in the academic community and have come under great attack in the last government and will be widely discussed at the meeting. The SBPC brings together 170 scientific communities and what we’re trying to do is translate scientific language into public policy.

the time: One of the panels at the meeting is “Do Brazilians Trust Science?” What are the effects on Brazilian science, not only from the point of view of disinformation, but also from cuts to the country’s research budget?

Renato Jeanine Ribeiro: Despite all the problems, all the propaganda against it, research shows that trust in science is great because, in a way, people know that science brings advantages to their lives. We can cite the discovery of vaccines against smallpox and polio. To take another example, life was kind of on hold for two or three years because of the coronavirus, and the internet allowed us to carry on with our routine as much as possible. And what is the Internet if not a product of science. A hundred years ago, during the Spanish flu, we did not have the conditions to bring about physical confinement, as we did this time which helped a lot to reduce the death rate. All this shows that science brings positive results and people are aware of this. The impact in recent years has been massive, but we believe in recovery, especially in terms of investment.

the time: On the immigration of Brazilian researchers, how can we keep our scientists here in the country?

Renato Jeanine Ribeiro: You have to offer him conditions for him to do in the country for which he was formed, i.e. scholarships to train more masters and doctors who will take up positions and renew knowledge and continue the work already done. We graduate 20 to 25 thousand doctors a year, which is a good number, but it’s declining. However, the brain drain here is much less than in Argentina and India, because Brazilians try to stay here as long as possible. The good news is that the government is launching the Bringing Brains Home Program and, at the same time, is looking to increase funding for those here.

the time: What is the importance of publishing scientific information and events to clarify and bring the population closer to science?

Renato Jeanine Ribeiro: What I have been insisting on is that you have to show the data to those who are embarking on a journey of denial, i.e. to have an explanatory work going. So, when someone starts saying that the Earth is flat, take the cell phone and GPS and show that there are tools, fruits of scientific development that prove, for example, that the Earth is not flat. In my opinion, as a professor of ethics, I believe that both science and ethics are two important major formations that we need to encourage from childhood.

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