BRAZILIAN SCIENCES AND GOVERNMENT FUNDING

The State ofS~o Paulo plays an important role in national research activities. The Foundation for the Support of Research of S~o Paulo State (FAPESP) is commissioned to manage funds for these activities. The profile of Brazilian sciences is investigated and contrasted to FAPESP's investments. ISI date relative to years 1981 to 1995 are analysed through multivariate methods (Factor and Cluster Analysis) as to provide weighted ranks of research fields, relationships among them as geometric distances, and group classification. This information is compared to public reports on FAPESP's expenditures. Brazilian scientific production grows at 244 papers/year in the period, and its global share is almost doubled. Impact shows no trend. Best performers are from exact and biological sciences. Though impact varies greatly among research fields, their major distinctive feature is magnitude of production. The six top research fields identified (Physics, Biology & Biochemistry, Clinical Medicine, Engineering, Chemistry, Plant & Animal Sciences) were found to equally be the prime beneficiaries FAPESP's investments. The Brazilian scenario is one of increasing production under an international pattern. This trend is not accompanied by changes in impact. As a corollary, volume of publications rises as an important issue. Public investments from S~o Paulo State adequately conform this scenario giving reassurance that resources are not being squandered.