Brazil’s future depends on science, a key area for strengthening policies and ensuring the country’s sovereignty in the face of new challenges. However, an analysis by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), based on the organization’s assessments and proposals over the past four election cycles, shows that we still have a long way to go in this regard.
Although Brazil has increased the number of PhD holders (from 10,000 in 2005 to about 24,000 in 2023) and established legal frameworks to incentivize research, funding for science remains insufficient and marked by instability.
The proposal, advocated for decades, to allocate 2% of GDP to the sector has never been implemented, despite significant improvements in the budget in recent years.
Data from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) indicate that national spending on research and development reached 1.2% of GDP in 2023 — a percentage higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, but still below the global average of 1.92% or the 2.7% recorded by member countries of the OECD.
Meanwhile, the country faces a series of challenges in which investment in research is the foundation of every policy — from the need to train professionals attuned to new demands, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and policies regarding critical minerals, to investment in technologies for the energy transition, for example.
This does not mean, however, that science should limit itself to these issues alone — quite the contrary. Investment in research must be guided by a focus on people, not merely by market demands. It is also necessary to safeguard support for basic research, which is fundamental to the advancement of knowledge.
Structural Bottlenecks
An ABC document released in July 2026 with proposals for the presidential candidates on the upcoming Oct. 5 election shows that structural bottlenecks persist in the country. Science already has solutions to address them based on available evidence.
One example comes from education. Despite universal access, the country faces stagnation in quality and persistent regional inequalities. Ensuring literacy at the appropriate age and providing an attractive, vocational high school education are essential to curbing dropout rates.
In the climate arena, the degradation of biomes and the intensification of extreme weather events show that climate change is no longer an issue to be addressed later. Warnings about the climate are not an exaggeration; they represent a commitment to the health, economy, and well-being of the population. In this sense, policies aimed at ending deforestation and phasing out fossil fuels are imperative.
Another example comes from the debate surrounding critical minerals. Although Brazil is rich in these resources, it still relies heavily on other countries for refining and processing. A strategy is needed that integrates sustainable exploitation, technological development, and industrialization, ensuring national sovereignty.
Stable Public Policies Are Lacking
Proposals to address Brazil’s problems are already on the table, but implementation, continuity, and governance are lacking. Stable public policies, continuous investment in education and research, valuing scientists, and strengthening scientific institutions are fundamental to addressing both persistent bottlenecks and new challenges.
On the eve of the elections, we must remember that science is not a separate field, isolated from others, toward which current candidates for various executive and legislative offices can choose whether or not to show an affinity.
Science must be the central pillar of all proposals for those elected in this Sunday’s election or who advance to a runoff. And voters need to be mindful of this.
Science must be a matter of State policy — a structural pillar, not a secondary agenda. Investing in research funding ensures the country’s ability to monitor risks, seek solutions to its own needs, train qualified professionals, and respond quickly to emergencies.
Emergencies ranging from health to climate, encompassing various other areas. It is also a way to transform knowledge into well-being, economic development, and political autonomy.
With elections for president, governors, and — most importantly —representatives and senators, Brazil has a new opportunity to choose science this Sunday.
For voters, it is a chance to reject those who disregard science or doubt its importance. For candidates, it is a chance to incorporate evidence-based proposals, avoid the unnecessary waste of resources, and demonstrate their commitment to actions focused on Brazil’s needs — not those of other countries.
The post “Brazil’s future depends on science” by Helena B. Nader, Presidente, Academia Brasileira de Ciências (ABC); Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) was published on 10/02/2026 by theconversation.com