São Paulo, July 31, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - During a speech at the Brasitec 2003, the Minister of Science and Technology, Roberto Amaral, said that Brazilian entrepreneurs need to invest more in scientific research in the country. He recalled that Brazil currently invests, annually, around 1% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in research and technology but that 86% of this total comes from the government.

According to the Minister, among American scientists in 1997, approximately 765 thousand worked in industry, 129 thousand at universities, and 70 thousand in research institutes. In Brazil, during the same period, approximately 8 thousand scientists worked in industry, 57 thousand at universities, and 12 thousand in research institutes. These figures, said Amaral, indicate the size of the challenge Brazil faces in this area. "We have to train scientists for society," he warned.

"We need to reduce the distance between our country and the countries of the First World," Amaral declared, recalling that 40% of the world's production of science and technology is concentrated in the United States, while Latin America accounts for only 2%. (DAS)