FAPESP celebrates 50 years

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Agência FAPESP* –By Elton Alisson
Agência FAPESP –  On May 30, 2012, FAPESP held a ceremony to commemorate its 50th anniversary at Sala São Paulo. The official anniversary was on May 23.
Among those in attendance were the São Paulo Governor, Geraldo Alckmin; the Science, Innovation and Technology Minister, Marco Antonio Raupp; the São Paulo Civil Cabinet Chief, Sydney Beraldo; the São Paulo Secretary of Culture, Marcelo Araújo; the Secretary of Planning and Regional Development, Julio Semeghini; the Secretary of Education and FAPESP Board of Trustees Member, Herman Voorwald; and the President of the Brazilian Society for Scientific Progress, Helena Nader. Also in attendance were the presidents and deans of São Paulo universities, the presidents and deans of academic institutions of other states, members of the scientific community, academics, business people, politicians as well as FAPESP advisors and directors.
In his speech, the FAPESP President Celso Lafer affirmed that the institution has become a reference in supporting research in the state of São Paulo and throughout Brazil.
“Throughout these 50 years of FAPESP’s existence, you can say that it has become a reference due to collective actions, fruit of the convergence of the strengths and desires of its successive leaders and partners in the scientific community and from the respect with which São Paulo’s public administrators have followed the requirements for autonomy and regular budget allocations outlined in the project since its creation,” he stated.
“The reason it became this reference is linked to the concept of authority as formulated by Hannah Arendt. Authority – autorictas – comes from the verb augere in Latin, augment, with the meaning of always adding something significant to the act of the foundation. For this reason, the institution’s dynamism has been guided by the objective of continuously adding substance to the principles that guided its creation,” says Lafer.
Hélio Bicudo, who was the Chief of São Paulo State Government’s Civil Cabinet in 1962 when FAPESP was created, stressed that the institution’s foundation was the result of a law created under the 1947 State Constitution. Article 123 in the Constitution mandated that research should be supported by the State.
The São Paulo Constitution envisioned that the manner to carry out this initiative would be through a foundation. The resulting foundation was thus instituted on May 23, 1962 by a decree sanctioned by then-governor Carlos Alberto de Carvalho Pinto (1910-1987), who served from 1959-1963.
“I had the honor of collaborating with Professor Paulo Vanzolini for the inauguration of FAPESP’s statutes,” Bicudo says. “But I also need to highlight Professor Antonio Barros de Ulhôa Cintra, then-president of USP, for his active contributions in the process of instituting FAPESP, because at the time, the head of USP had the status of secretary of state and dealt directly with the governor. This position allowed for implementation of many ideas that came from the academic community regarding important matters on supporting research in São Paulo State.”
FAPESP’s Scientific Director, Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, highlighted the change to conduct research in São Paulo within the last 50 years with FAPESP’s institution.
“In the year it was founded, the institution received 428 requests for research projects, compared to 20,600 in 2011. Just four years after its creation, São Paulo state scientists published approximately 42 scientific articles, which represented 14% of total Brazilian scientific production,” he said.
Ten years later in 1976, Brazilian scientific production had grown 26 times and that of São Paulo Stats had increased 90 times, which collectively represented half of the country’s scientific production.
“It is clear that FAPESP had a role in this, but it would be a serious mistake to say that only the institution participated in this change, because it was set of actions and institutions that contributed to create the scientific base that we have in São Paulo State today,” Brito Cruz pondered.
“Financing is not enough to make scientific research happen. Most important is having good researchers in good institutions that value training and academic merit. And this, São Paulo State and Brazil knew how to develop,” he stated.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation stressed that FAPESP is a precursor and leader of a model frequently followed in other Brazilian states, which helped shape the national system of science, technology and innovation.
“FAPESP’s research funding often helped to overcome the lack of federal government investment in moments of financial turbulence or political upheaval and aided in implementation of research infrastructure, helping the Brazilian researcher to keep up international competition,” said Raupp.
During his speech, Governor Alckmin pondered that before FAPESP, São Paulo was already doing science with researchers, such as Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917) and Emílio Ribas (1862-1925), but the arrival of FAPESP represented a historical landmark for science in the state and Brazil as a whole.
“The fact is, as a funding and knowledge promotion agency, FAPESP innovated, establishing new parameters for public and private research institutions in São Paulo and has been decisive for our state contributing 51% of Brazilian scientific production and accounting for 25.5% of all scientific articles produced in Latin American and published in indexed international magazines,” he stated.
During the ceremony, presenters played a video with declarations of researchers and fellows of projects funded by FAPESP (see video below).
Researcher Munir Salomão Skaf, Universidade Estadual de Campinas’ Chemistry Institute, gave his emotional declaration about the foundation’s contribution to the development of his scientific career. He was a member of the first class of Young Researchers in Emerging Centers that was launched in 1995..
Actress Beatriz Segall was the master of ceremonies for the event, which included a presentation by the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra’s Choir, conducted by Naomi Munakata.
Watch the FAPESP’s Golden Jubilee video:

<p><b>By Elton Alisson</b></p>
<p><b>Agência FAPESP</b> –  On May 30, 2012, FAPESP held a ceremony to commemorate its 50th anniversary at Sala São Paulo. The official anniversary was on May 23.</p>
<p>Among those in attendance were the São Paulo Governor, Geraldo Alckmin; the Science, Innovation and Technology Minister, Marco Antonio Raupp; the São Paulo Civil Cabinet Chief, Sydney Beraldo; the São Paulo Secretary of Culture, Marcelo Araújo; the Secretary of Planning and Regional Development, Julio Semeghini; the Secretary of Education and FAPESP Board of Trustees Member, Herman Voorwald; and the President of the Brazilian Society for Scientific Progress, Helena Nader. Also in attendance were the presidents and deans of São Paulo universities, the presidents and deans of academic institutions of other states, members of the scientific community, academics, business people, politicians as well as FAPESP advisors and directors.</p>
<p>In his speech, the FAPESP President Celso Lafer affirmed that the institution has become a reference in supporting research in the state of São Paulo and throughout Brazil.</p>
<p>“Throughout these 50 years of FAPESP’s existence, you can say that it has become a reference due to collective actions, fruit of the convergence of the strengths and desires of its successive leaders and partners in the scientific community and from the respect with which São Paulo’s public administrators have followed the requirements for autonomy and regular budget allocations outlined in the project since its creation,” he stated.</p>
<p>“The reason it became this reference is linked to the concept of authority as formulated by Hannah Arendt. Authority – autorictas – comes from the verb augere in Latin, augment, with the meaning of always adding something significant to the act of the foundation. For this reason, the institution’s dynamism has been guided by the objective of continuously adding substance to the principles that guided its creation,” says Lafer.</p>
<p>Hélio Bicudo, who was the Chief of São Paulo State Government’s Civil Cabinet in 1962 when FAPESP was created, stressed that the institution’s foundation was the result of a law created under the 1947 State Constitution. Article 123 in the Constitution mandated that research should be supported by the State.</p>
<p>The São Paulo Constitution envisioned that the manner to carry out this initiative would be through a foundation. The resulting foundation was thus instituted on May 23, 1962 by a decree sanctioned by then-governor Carlos Alberto de Carvalho Pinto (1910-1987), who served from 1959-1963.</p>
<p>“I had the honor of collaborating with Professor Paulo Vanzolini for the inauguration of FAPESP’s statutes,” Bicudo says. “But I also need to highlight Professor Antonio Barros de Ulhôa Cintra, then-president of USP, for his active contributions in the process of instituting FAPESP, because at the time, the head of USP had the status of secretary of state and dealt directly with the governor. This position allowed for implementation of many ideas that came from the academic community regarding important matters on supporting research in São Paulo State.”</p>
<p>FAPESP’s Scientific Director, Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, highlighted the change to conduct research in São Paulo within the last 50 years with FAPESP’s institution.</p>
<p>“In the year it was founded, the institution received 428 requests for research projects, compared to 20,600 in 2011. Just four years after its creation, São Paulo state scientists published approximately 42 scientific articles, which represented 14% of total Brazilian scientific production,” he said.</p>
<p>Ten years later in 1976, Brazilian scientific production had grown 26 times and that of São Paulo Stats had increased 90 times, which collectively represented half of the country’s scientific production.</p>
<p>“It is clear that FAPESP had a role in this, but it would be a serious mistake to say that only the institution participated in this change, because it was set of actions and institutions that contributed to create the scientific base that we have in São Paulo State today,” Brito Cruz pondered.</p>
<p>“Financing is not enough to make scientific research happen. Most important is having good researchers in good institutions that value training and academic merit. And this, São Paulo State and Brazil knew how to develop,” he stated.</p>
<p>The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation stressed that FAPESP is a precursor and leader of a model frequently followed in other Brazilian states, which helped shape the national system of science, technology and innovation.</p>
<p>“FAPESP’s research funding often helped to overcome the lack of federal government investment in moments of financial turbulence or political upheaval and aided in implementation of research infrastructure, helping the Brazilian researcher to keep up international competition,” said Raupp.</p>
<p>During his speech, Governor Alckmin pondered that before FAPESP, São Paulo was already doing science with researchers, such as Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917) and Emílio Ribas (1862-1925), but the arrival of FAPESP represented a historical landmark for science in the state and Brazil as a whole.</p>
<p>“The fact is, as a funding and knowledge promotion agency, FAPESP innovated, establishing new parameters for public and private research institutions in São Paulo and has been decisive for our state contributing 51% of Brazilian scientific production and accounting for 25.5% of all scientific articles produced in Latin American and published in indexed international magazines,” he stated.</p>
<p>During the ceremony, presenters played a video with declarations of researchers and fellows of projects funded by FAPESP (see video below).</p>
<p>Researcher Munir Salomão Skaf, Universidade Estadual de Campinas’ Chemistry Institute, gave his emotional declaration about the foundation’s contribution to the development of his scientific career. He was a member of the first class of Young Researchers in Emerging Centers that was launched in 1995..</p>
<p>Actress Beatriz Segall was the master of ceremonies for the event, which included a presentation by the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra’s Choir, conducted by Naomi Munakata.</p>
<p>Watch the FAPESP’s Golden Jubilee video:</p>
<p> </p>