Prezados colegas acabamos de receber a mensagem abaixo que contem o texto publicado na revista NATURE, sobre o decreto 328/98 CNPq e as medidas de contenção de despesas do governo federal, relacionadas a Ciência e Tecnologia.
Julgamos que o assunto é de interesse de todos e por isso estamos enviando na forma de boletim especial.

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BRAZIL FORCED TO CUT BACK SCIENCE FUNDING
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Nature 395, 831 (1998)  Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Brazil forced to cut back science funding
[LONDON] The Brazilian government is expected to announce major cuts to the country's science budget this week -- including a block on all new fellowships and research grants -- as part of its response to the international financial crisis.
A broad package of fiscal measures has been drawn up following talks between the government and the International Monetary Fund, which are due to culminate with a set of economic measures designed to help Brazil weather its approaching economic recession.
Science and technology have not been spared from a wide swath of cuts to public spending. The Ministry of Science and Technology is being requiredto make cuts of at least 248 million rals (US$208 million) in this year's budget, 20 per cent of its planned total of R$1.2 billion.
The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the main research funding agency, is expected to see its budget reduced by about R$50 million from the current level of R$436 million.
Oskar Klingl, chef de cabinet to Brazil's science minister, Israel Vargas, says the difficult situation facing science is now unavoidable. The budget cuts for 1998 are already known, but uncertainty still hangs over what is likely to happen next year.
In addition to the cuts at the CNPq, other budget reductions will have adirect impact on the activities of the 14 research institutions run by the  science ministry.
The situation has spread alarm in the scientific community. Last week a public protest in Rio de Janeiro led by the Brazilian Society for the Development of Science (SBPC) brought together scientists representing more than 30 organizations.
Their main concern is for the future of the CNPq, the main source of funding for university research. Two weeks ago, the CNPq circulated internally a list of proposed economy measures, signed by its president, Jose Galizia Tundisi, that included freezing the approval of practically all new fellowships, research grants and cooperative agreements.
A senior CNPq official says the measures have been carefully considered, and that the agency tried to ensure that the cuts did the minimum damage. All formal commitments will be met, and fellowships that have already been granted will be funded.
But this has done little to reassure scientists. Last week's protest culminated with the release of two statements, one directed to the Brazilian nation and the other to the international scientific community, attacking what the protesters described as the government's lack of interest in science and technology.
Scientists have called for Tundisi's resignation, complaining that he failed to discuss the agency's financial difficulties with the scientific community, but merely drew up the internal list of economy measures. The protests were triggered by the 'leak' of this list.
Many scientists fear that their position will become even more difficult after the release of this week's austerity package. The SBPC has created a forum on its website for discussion of the topic.
Messages of support have been received from scientists in other Latin American countries, many of whom share similar concerns about their own countries' science budgets.
ANDREA KAUFFMAN-ZEH

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Secretaria Geral SBQ
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