São Paulo, 7/31/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The principal challenge at the Ministry of Science and Technology is to make scientific knowledge democratic, says minister Robert Amaral, speaking at the National Forum on Science and Technology Affairs. According to the minister, at the moment Brazil's centers of excellence are concentrated in a few places around the country: São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro especially, besides Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais and Pernambuco. Amaral says the government is committed to having scientific knowledge shared around the country more equitably.

"The states that are richer have more centers of excellence. They also have state universities [in Brazil these are tuition-free institutions,financed and run by the state] which could make academic and research agreements with other states," said Amaral, as he announced that the University of Pernambuco will run post graduate courses in neighboring Piauí and Paraíba. The agreement will be a perfect fit of Pernambuco's strengths with weaknesses in the other two states, he said.

Amaral explains that it is more effective to have a teacher travel to other states than to place specialists all over the country.The minister cited the example of such agreements signed by São Paulo and Ceará, saying it was an example to be followed by other states. "We will not survive as a country if we live in an ocean of exclusion, poverty and backwardness surrounding a few islands of development," said the minister. Government policy is to treat all states equally. "The only difference we see is greater need for assistance in some states," the minister concluded. (AB)