Interview
Vogt assumes presidency of Fapesp
Former dean says he will work to expand the institution's investment capacity
Linguist and poet Carlos Vogt, former dean of Unicamp, is the new president of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp). He replaces professor Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, who left his position to take over as Rector of the University. The appointment of Vogt, who takes office on June 27th, in a ceremony to be held at the Fapesp headquarters, in São Paulo, was published on June 13th in the Official State Gazette. His name was chosen by governor Geraldo Alckmin from a triple list prepared by Fapesp advisors, also composed of historian José Jobson de Andrade Arruda and physicist Nilson Dias Vieira. Current coordinator of the Laboratory for Advanced Studies in Journalism (Labjor), the linguist states that he will continue the good work that has been done by the Foundation and that he will concentrate efforts so that, increasingly, scientific knowledge can be transformed into wealth. Check out the main excerpts from the interview given to Jornal da Unicamp below.
Journal of Unicamp – You have just taken office as president of Fapesp. Do you already have any prospective work plans?
Carlos Vogt – Fapesp is a very solid institution, which has been developing work that is considered a national and international reference in terms of research funding and promotion mechanisms. This has been done thanks to a coordinated effort between the Foundation's management and council. Over the last few years, Fapesp has not only continued in its consistent line of granting scholarships and supporting research, but has innovated by creating a series of important programs. My plans are, firstly, to continue what has been done, within the creative spirit that has characterized the Foundation's activities. Fapesp has a very important publication, Pesquisa Fapesp, which we will seek to improve more and more. We will also seek to reinforce the balance between financing basic research, applied research and technological development. If we can, in more favorable economic situations, we will also work to increase the inflow of resources, therefore expanding the institution's investment capacity, which is no longer small (around R$550 million in 2001). Fapesp, more than a funding agency, is one of the main institutions formulating public policies in the country in the area of science and technology.
Of the programs created by Fapesp, which ones do you highlight?
Fapesp maintains important programs in the area of technological innovation, such as support for micro and small companies, as well as in the scope of public policies. It is also responsible for major initiatives such as the Research, Innovation and Diffusion Centers (Cepids), in addition, of course, to the large and important Genome Program, embodied in the Onsa Network, of research in the area. These are programs that aim to support not only the development of knowledge, but also create conditions to transform this knowledge into wealth. One of the greatest challenges for the institution, in addition to continuing in the traditional line of promoting research, is precisely to seek to increasingly encourage the development of mechanisms that effectively contribute to this transformation process.
What other challenges do you expect to face at Fapesp?
I took over Fapesp in the face of a first challenge. Recently, when it turned 40, the foundation received a gift from President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. In his speech, the president announced the donation to the institution of the land where Ceagesp (Companhia de Entrepostos e Armazéns Gerais de São Paulo) operates, which should move to an area close to the Rodoanel. This will require great attention from the Foundation. In addition to negotiations with federal organizations, for the donation to come to fruition, it will also be necessary to discuss the issue with USP, Unicamp and Unesp, as well as with the City of São Paulo. We will carry out organizational work, aiming to make the best use of the area, which has 700 thousand square meters, to promote research and the social benefits that this type of incorporation can bring.
As a former advisor to Fapesp and former dean of Unicamp, how do you assess the importance of the Foundation in the development of research at the University?
Unicamp is one of the biggest users of Fapesp. In order, USP appears, then Unicamp and then Unesp. Unicamp receives around 25% of the funding resources allocated to research institutions, which is a large volume. I think that Unicamp, like other universities, has the potential to increase this participation.
You are a man focused on science, but above all you are a humanist. Will this make you place a different emphasis on his work as head of Fapesp?
I don't think so. My interest in science is the humanist's interest in knowledge. I consider that science is part of the ethical and aesthetic construction that gives a strong meaning to existence. Scientific knowledge as a whole is part of the process of cultural evolution and transformation, which allows man to seek increasingly more conditions for his sociability. I think that being the president of a research funding institution will give me the conditions to associate the interest of science with the poetry of existence.
Fapesp is an institution in São Paulo, but it is of fundamental importance for the scientific and technological development of the country. How do you see the institution's participation on the national scene?
From the point of view of the financing system, Fapesp has a fundamental role, given its good functioning conditions. In addition to having a significant budget (1% of the State's tax revenue), the Foundation has very adequate management. This means that, on the national scene, it functions as an agency that promotes balance with regard to the actions of federal bodies. CNPQ, Capes and Finep have very important actions at national level. However, scientific production is very concentrated in the Southeast, particularly in São Paulo, which means that Fapesp has an important role from the point of view of the country's scientific and technological production capacity. Being a São Paulo agency does not mean granting resources only to São Paulo institutions, but to federal institutions that are in São Paulo. The criterion is more geographic than institutional affiliation. Furthermore, Fapesp served as a model for the creation of several state agencies. In this sense, it is an exemplary institution, as it functions as a paradigm for the national community. The aspiration is that, within the framework of the economic capacity of each State, we will have other institutions whose operation and regularity are similar to those of Fapesp.
