Tech Roundup: An important landmark for Brazilian science funding

This week. Instituto Serrapilheira, Brazil’s first private science support institution turns five. Scientists say AI can improve biodiversity protection — and could help Brazil. 5G already works on “wildcard frequency” in Brazil. 

Brazil’s first private institution for science support turns 5

Instituto Serapilheira, the first private non-profit focused on sponsoring science in Brazil, turned five on Tuesday. Since its inception, the institution has invested more than BRL 50 million (USD 10.5 million) in more than 190 projects. It aims to become a center of excellence for quantitative biology and ecology research in the next five years.

Strategy. Founded by Brazilian documentary maker João Moreira Salles and his linguist wife Branca Vianna Moreira Salles, the organization offers two funding streams from a BRL 350 million endowment fund created in 2016.

• The first focuses on scientific awareness initiatives, such as media and journalism projects. The Youtube channel of Atila Iamarino is one example. The Brazilian biologist is a leading voice in fighting pandemic-related misinformation in Brazil.
• The institute also funds long-term projects which do not tend to be supported by public agencies, often due to high budgets and uncertain result predictions.

What they are saying. “When you take greater risks in scientific research, projects can fail. But when they succeed, they can be extremely transformative,” Hugo Aguilaniu, president-director of the non-profit, tells The Brazilian Report.

• “Serrapilheira brings two things that are complementary with the public system of investment in science development — greater risk and greater agility, or less bureaucracy, in the use of resources,” he adds.

Not the solution. Private institutes that support Brazilian science (which are scarce) are crucial to develop research and contain the country’s “brain drain.” Still, Mr. Aguilaniu urges Brazil’s public institutions to step up.

• “Brazilian science, despite being very good, suffers a lot from the discontinuity of its funding,” he says.
• In our latest Number of the Week, The Brazilian Report showed how funding shortfalls for public research support entities Capes and CNPq are largely to blame for a sharp drop in the number...