Brazilian Public Universities Lead COVID-19 Research Amid Funding Challenges
Brazilian public universities spearheaded COVID-19 research, accounting for the majority of Brazil's significant scientific output despite funding cuts and political challenges.
- • Public universities contributed two-thirds of COVID-19 research publications in Brazil in 2022.
- • Brazil’s COVID-19 publication share (5.9%) exceeded the global average (4.8%).
- • COVID-19 research publications increased 152-fold from 2019 to 2021 globally.
- • Brazilian researchers collaborated internationally with 205 countries, but Latin American collaboration remains limited.
- • Budget cuts of approximately R$ 600 million threaten Brazil's science and technology progress.
Key details
Brazilian public universities played a pivotal role in the country's COVID-19 scientific research, demonstrating significant productivity despite political and financial obstacles. A study titled "Brazilian Public Universities’ Contributions to Global Covid-19 Research" found that in 2022, 5.9% of all Brazilian scientific publications focused on COVID-19, exceeding the global average of 4.8%. Public universities accounted for two-thirds of this output. The number of COVID-19 publications in Brazil surged from just 22 in 2019 to 156,736 worldwide in 2021, marking a 152-fold increase. This output surpassed other major research topics, including cancer, emphasizing the strategic importance of pandemic-related research. Despite reductions in public funding for science and technology since 2016, Brazilian scientists maintained high levels of productivity and international collaboration, working with researchers from 205 countries, especially the United States, the UK, and Italy. However, collaboration with Latin American neighboring countries remains limited, highlighting an area for growth. The study underscores the importance of sustained investment in science to protect national sovereignty and public health. Concurrently, concerns have been raised about drastic cuts to Brazil's scientific funding, with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations' budget slashed by approximately R$ 600 million, from R$ 655.421 million to just R$ 7.222 million. This reduction threatens key scientific sectors including agricultural research, which is critical for maintaining Brazil's global leadership in sustainable tropical agriculture.