Government regulates the Legal Framework for Science, Technology and Innovation

On February 8, the Diário Oficial da União published a decree that regulates the Legal Framework for Science, Technology and Innovation (Law nº 13.243/2016) and brings the expectation of reducing bureaucracy in research and innovation activities in the country. The new rules create mechanisms to integrate scientific and technological institutions and encourage investments in research.
 
“It was the work of many over the last few years, of various public and private institutions and the government. Going forward, we will have better conditions to advance with our research", said the minister of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications, Gilberto Kassab, after meeting with representatives of the Science and Technology area, at Palácio do Planalto, to celebrate the publication of the decree.
 
Kassab said that the legislation will also allow him to increase the contribution of private resources to research. “It will definitely increase because it will bring more security. With the certainty and security that this regulation brings, the issues will be unlocked in the public power and in the scope of private capital there will be more security”, he explained.
 
According to the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications, the new legal framework should simplify the signing of agreements to promote public research; facilitate the internationalization of scientific and technological institutions and increase their interaction with companies.
 
It must also increase the promotion of innovation ecosystems; diversify financial instruments to support innovation and allow greater sharing of resources between public and private entities.
 
Other points are the simplification of procedures for importing goods and research inputs; new incentives for carrying out technological orders and flexibility in the reallocation of budget resources.
 
The president of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), Ildeu de Castro, who participated in the meeting at the Planalto Palace, evaluated the regulation of the framework as positive and recalled that it is the result of years of discussions.
 
“We see this as a positive point for the greater integration of science, technology and innovation in the country. We are clearly concerned with unlocking a series of legal difficulties that Brazil traditionally has for science to work; giving more flexibility to the action of science is very important. As this regulation will reach the end, in companies, in research institutions, this will be a construction process”.
 
Privatization of Eletrobras
 
According to minister Gilberto Kassab, during the meeting, entities in the area of Science and Technology presented the proposal that R$ 1 billion of what is collected from the privatization of Eletrobras be invested in science, technology and innovation. "More than fair, more than legitimate for the good of the country," said the minister.
 
According to him, entities intend to structure a working group to build the demand and consulted him about the possibility of the ministry taking part in this project. Kassab reported that he responded positively to the entities.