Unicamp's rector, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, participated in the solemn session to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences (Aciesp), held by the São Paulo Legislative Assembly (Alesp) this Monday (2). Founded in 1974 in the city of São Carlos, the entity received the most important honor from the Chamber of Deputies, the Legislative Merit Necklace.
Author of the proposal to pay tribute to the entity, state deputy Carlos Giannazi presided over the solemn session, accompanied by Meirelles, professor Vanderlan Bolzani, representative of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), and professors Josué de Moraes and Norberto Lopes, members of the Aciesp board of directors.
On the occasion, the rector of Unicamp recalled the importance of the institution in strengthening the public higher education system in the state, together with other institutions, such as the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (FAPESP). Meirelles highlighted the good performance of São Paulo's public universities in the most recent edition of the Times Higher Education university ranking – one of the most prestigious in the world – as a result of the continuous investment in science.
“USP [University of São Paulo], Unicamp and Unesp [São Paulo State University] were among the top five universities in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the result of a stable funding policy and institutions that were able to value merit and are now able to show that inclusion and merit can be reconciled. We, Unicamp and Unesp, have climbed the rankings and have been working on an intensive inclusion process at our universities for over a decade, to welcome black, mixed race and indigenous students, as well as students from low-income public schools,” he highlighted.
Meirelles highlighted the fundamental role of scientific research produced in the State of São Paulo, based on investment from public funding agencies, in the country’s economic development. Above all, he stressed, it contributed to the technological advances that boosted the sugar and ethanol sector and made the country an agricultural powerhouse. Investing in innovation, the professor argued, can now make Brazil a protagonist in the energy transition. “Private investment in technology in São Paulo is already on the same scale as public investment, according to data from FAPESP,” he argued.
The current scenario, in the dean’s view, favors the country and, mainly, the state. After all, more than 80% of Brazil’s electricity comes from renewable sources. The country also has the sixth largest wind farm in the world. And, to top it all off, it ranks second in bioenergy. “Our Achilles heel is that part of the equipment is produced outside Brazil.” In addition to promoting financial advances, the use of science and technology can solve challenges of social justice and inclusion, said the dean. “The pandemic has shown this. We can transform the demands of the public health sector into a force to reindustrialize the country, in terms of equipment and medicines. This will not be done without science and technology.”
To illustrate that investment in the sector pays off, Meirelles cited the example of a unicorn-type company, created at Unicamp, which is already publicly traded. “In 2022, this company carried out an IPO [initial public offering] on the New York Stock Exchange [United States] and was able to raise something close to US$ 200 million. The latest report from our innovation agency mentions something in the range of R$ 27 billion raised last year”, he calculates. “Today, we are the 13th country in scientific production in the world, but we are still behind the 40th in terms of innovation. The moment, however, is particularly favorable to reverse this situation.”