Coronavirus

Bolsonaro fires head of scientific research agency

brazil research

President Jair Bolsonaro has fired the head of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), João Luiz Filgueiras de Azevedo, replacing him with Evaldo Ferreira Vilela former head of Minas Gerais research foundation Fapemig. Mr. Filgueiras said he was not warned of his termination ahead of time, but did “see it coming.”

Responsible for supporting scientific and technological research in the country, the CNPq was once one of Brazil’s most prestigious government bodies, until it saw repeated funding cuts under President Jair Bolsonaro. Among those affected are researchers performing Covid-19-related studies who, during the pandemic, are losing their funding.