SCIENCE FUNDING:Brazil's Budget Crunch Crushes Science

doi:10.1126/science.282.5393.1403

Account Information

Guest Alerts | Access Rights | My Account | Sign In

News Focus

SCIENCE FUNDING:
Brazil's Budget Crunch Crushes Science

Cássio Leite Vieira

RIO DE JANEIRO--On 8 September, Brazil's treasury department cut $160 million from the science ministry's already tight 1998 budget of $747 million; a second decree, issued on 30 October, trimmed another 5%, pushing many universities and laboratories to the brink of insolvency. Making matters worse, the government announced on 10 November that next year, the science ministry will receive 18.7% less than it had requested. Particularly hard hit is the country's principal science funding agency, the CNPq, which has not been able to distribute any new money for research in 1998.

Read the Full Text