"Science shouldn't have borders"

José Lino Salvador Barañao, Argentina's Minister of Science, Technology & Productive Innovation, talks about international cooperation and research partnerships with Brazil.

By Samuel Antenor

Agência FAPESP – José Lino Salvador Barañao, a chemist who has headed Argentina’s Ministry of Science, Technology & Productive Innovation since it was created in 2007, prioritizes the conversion of investment in science and technology into outcomes that enable people to appropriate the knowledge produced in Argentina.

Science “shouldn’t have borders”, he says, recalling that Brazil is Argentina’s leading research partner, as evidenced by collaboration in such areas as structural biology, stem cell biology, meteorology, astronomy and information technology, among others, as well as by Argentina’s participation in Project Sirius, the new Brazilian synchrotron light source that is currently being built by the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) in Campinas, São Paulo State.

Barañao gave an exclusive interview to Agência FAPESP during FAPESP Week Buenos Aires.

Agência FAPESP – How has Argentina’s science policy developed over the years and how did it lead up to the creation of the ST&PI ministry?
José Lino Salvador Barañao – Argentina’s support for science has fluctuated considerably in past decades. During periods of dictatorship, scientists were persecuted. At other times, such as when neoliberal economists were in charge, scientists were considered dispensable. Only since 2003 have we had a science policy with continuity and a government committed to the advancement of science. For example, concrete measures were taken to improve the pay of researchers and to create a path for researchers under the aegis of the National Scientific & Technological Research Council (CONICET).

Between 2003 and 2007, there was a process of reconstruction. Funds were allocated to research, and the scientific and technological research agency set up almost ten years earlier was strengthened. This qualitative change permitted the creation of the Ministry of Science, Technology & Productive Innovation. It is so named for a good reason: the government of Argentina decided to place S&T at the service of economic and social development so that the knowledge produced enhances the quality of people’s lives.

Once the ministry had been set up, we prioritized making Argentina’s S&T system more coherent. It was too compartmentalized, and there were overlaps in many activities. So we set up an inter-institutional council subordinated to one of the ministry’s departments while continuing to strengthen the sector in terms of both human resources and infrastructure.

Agência FAPESP – What measures were taken after the ministry was set up?
Barañao – Over the years, we have built 190,000 sq. m. of facilities throughout the country. We had a deficit of 120,000 sq. m. due to three decades without investment in this area. But we haven’t only strengthened the system. We’ve also taken pains to effectively insert the system into productive activities by fostering the creation of public-private partnerships with concrete goals in terms of applying knowledge to technological innovation to create products for the market, new services that Argentina has never had before, and significant planning activity.

Our main plan is “Innovative Argentina 2020”, to which more than 1,500 professionals, producers and representatives of different sectors contributed. The plan identifies 30 socio-productive centers, and this consensus is what enables us to assure the continuity of this program, as it has been endorsed by all of these sectors.

Basically, during this period, we strengthened the system and laid foundations for the construction of public awareness as an important element of the policy. So, we’ve been able to reap the first returns on this investment, in terms of not only scientific discoveries but also complete solutions to social and industrial problems.

Agência FAPESP – What is the current status of Argentina’s collaborative research with researchers and institutions elsewhere? Are there specific features of collaboration with other countries?
Barañao – The issue of international research networking depends to a significant extent on the ministry, and we have cooperation and exchange agreements with more than 140 institutions around the world. In terms of collaborative research, most involves Brazil, followed by Spain, France, the USA and Germany. Argentina has a high efficiency rating for participation in European Union programs, for example, with an office to support Argentinian researchers and to assure their integration with the research networks and programs of European countries.

We have over 50 scientific cooperation projects with France alone. We’re presently planning to open an office of this type to support Argentinian researchers in Latin American countries. We have agreements with practically every major world bloc, including countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. However, we believe that certain specific issues should be taken into consideration regarding this cooperation. What I mean is that we don’t favor cooperation in every possible area but rather in specific areas in each country so as to strengthen our mutual interests.

Agência FAPESP – What role does Brazil play in these issues?
Barañao – We have endeavored to move exchanges ahead in the physical sense as well as virtually and to consolidate this cooperation in a formal and stable structure. Our collaboration with Brazil is strong in such fields as structural biology, stem cell biology, meteorology, astronomy and information technology, among many others, and includes participation in structural projects such as Sirius, which involves the construction of an array of electron accelerators at the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) in Campinas. Most of the foreign researchers who are working there are from Argentina.

Of course, science is cooperative and international. It shouldn’t have borders or limits. However, it is equally evident that we must have local ambitions in terms of knowledge production and the appropriation of its outcomes. For a long time, Latin America contributed to the world’s knowledge without receiving most of its benefits because it lacked the capacity to absorb and make use of this knowledge locally. I believe that Latin America has sufficiently advanced and now has the capacity to ensure that locally developed knowledge brings social benefits to countries that are wise enough to politically recognize S&T activities and guarantee their continuous funding.

Science facilitates integration among countries. For this reason, we also collaborate with Argentina’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which views us as an instrument for building closer ties with most countries, including some with which we don’t have diplomatic relations. Science is unquestionably an important international networking tool.

Agência FAPESP – In the case of São Paulo State, which has a population of about the same size as Argentina and accounts for over half of Brazil’s scientific output, what are the prospects for cooperation?
Barañao – We often find that collaboration and exchange are more effective at the level of states or institutions than at that of national governments. Our partners tend to mainly be institutions that guarantee a commitment to cooperation. Rather than mere protocols, we prefer to sign agreements that can genuinely be put into practice. I should stress that collaboration with Brazil is going very well, including research carried out via direct collaboration between universities and research groups, and it’s often enough for us to cover only travel and exchange expenses, which are already part of the grants. Working with São Paulo State is particularly attractive, as most Brazilian researchers who collaborate with Argentinians are affiliated with public universities in São Paulo; so, we’re keen on strengthening these ties by means of specific agreements.

Agência FAPESP – As a strategy for medium- and long-term projects, do you think the role of the state in funding research has changed, or does it remain absolutely necessary for the development of S&T in a country such as Argentina?
Barañao – I believe that the state is the main promoter of knowledge, especially basic knowledge, in every country. Even in countries with highly developed market economies such as the United States, the state plays a fundamental role in funding basic research. We must also remember the state’s purchasing power. For example, in the area of defense, which has historically driven technological development, the state is a central player.

In Argentina, the state funds 75% of research and development activities, while the private sector funds 25%. However, this should become better balanced as our technology companies become more numerous. The state’s role remains crucial not only in funding but also, above all, in strategic planning, which is necessary to integrate many sectors and ensure that the investments made have an economic and social impact.

Agência FAPESP – How can these activities be sustained when so much of society does not clearly see S&T as intrinsically linked to economic and social benefits?
Barañao – It’s a challenge about which we have always been clear, right from the start. For this reason, we have implemented very concrete measures to disseminate S&T, including the creation of a television channel dedicated to science and culture dissemination called TECtv. It promotes interest in science among young people and innovation by enterprises. More recently, we’ve set up an ST&I communication agency, which will be attached to the ministry itself as part of an S&T center that we’re currently creating and will fund science and culture dissemination projects, including activities in museums. We also have Tecnópolis, a trade show that has been held annually since 2011 in metropolitan Buenos Aires between July and November. It’s visited every year by over 150,000 schoolchildren.