After months of tension between the government and domestic scientists due to major cuts in science funding (see IBO 10/31/2016 and IBO 6/15/2016), in January, the Brazilian government reverted back to the original $527 million budget for the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications. The Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC) and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences created a petition protesting the funding cuts when they were first announced, obtaining the support of nine other science agencies and 26,000 signatures. Helena Nader, president of the SBPC, explained that the strain between scientists and the government had been sparked with the government’s decision to cap academic government spending for 20 years.

The restoration is effective immediately, with the restored funds going towards paying the Ministry’s administration costs, as well as science scholarships for January and February.

Source: Agência Brasil