Bolsonaro cuts universities’ scientific research funding

In a way, the decision by Jair Bolsonaro’s (Liberal Party) government not to block funding of universities was a relief for the institutions. However, another decision, announced on 6 October in Brazil’s Federal Register, shows that the attack against education continues as US$123.2 million, meant to go towards research in public universities, was blocked from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI, in Portuguese), writes Felipe Mendes for Brasil de Fato.

Dozens of the projects affected by the budget cuts are crucial for the scientific and technological advancement of the country in the most diverse areas. Now, they are cancelled once and for all. Even sectors that the Bolsonaro government says are top priorities will suffer the consequences of the recent decision.

Fernando Cássio, professor at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC, in Portuguese), explains that these recent budget cuts hit the research activities in public universities, which are responsible for about 95% of the scientific and technological works in the country. “They took [money] from one thing in order to give it to another. They changed their minds about the decision of blocking the budget of universities, but they cancelled the MCTI budget. They gave money to the universities to pay energy bills, but they took all the money aimed at research,” he noted.
Full report on the Brasil de Fato site