To value the role of science as an agent promoting social impact and transformation, generating real progress for people in the most diverse segments. This was the motto of the participation of Antônio Gomes de Souza Filho, Director of Evaluation at the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), linked to the Ministry of Education, at the event “Dialogues with Capes”Organized by the Pro-Rectorate for Graduate Studies at Unicamp on Thursday morning (26), the meeting aimed at graduate program coordinators and members of the Central Graduate Studies Committee took place in the auditorium of the Institute of Geosciences.
The moment was seen as strategic for discussing the direction of program evaluation, impact metrics, and the future of postgraduate studies at the institution. In its opening remarks, the organization highlighted the importance of the moment for the academic community, emphasizing the opportunity for direct dialogue with CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel) regarding evaluation criteria, institutional challenges, and pathways to strengthening the training of masters and doctoral students. They also emphasized recurring questions among graduate programs, especially about how to align academic innovation, territorial impact, and evaluation requirements.
The meeting was structured around questions previously submitted by program coordinators, with the aim of broadening the collective debate and addressing issues common to different areas of knowledge.
With a vast academic background, including a stint as a visiting researcher at Unicamp between 2009 and 2010, Souza Filho presented an overview of the Brazilian postgraduate evaluation system, highlighting that the changes planned for the 2025-2028 cycle will be "incremental" and not disruptive. "The Capes evaluation system is solid, but it still faces challenges in advancing at the necessary speed in the face of transformations in science and society.", he said.
One point emphasized was the significant growth of Brazilian postgraduate education in recent decades. From 167 programs concentrated in 23 municipalities 50 years ago, Brazil now has approximately 5 programs distributed across more than 350 cities. Currently, the system involves around 520 people, including faculty, students, and researchers.
According to the director of CAPES, this expansion process was supported by three fundamental pillars: planning, funding, and evaluation. Souza Filho also highlighted public policies that contributed to the decentralization of science in the country, such as the creation of federal universities and the strengthening of state research funding foundations. As a result, there has been a significant change in the geography of scientific production. While previously most research was concentrated in the Rio-São Paulo axis, today production is more evenly distributed among Brazilian states. "In about two decades, Brazil has managed to decentralize knowledge generation and train researchers in different territories, which represents significant progress.""The director emphasized."
Relevance
Despite the progress, the representative from CAPES warned of persistent challenges, such as the need for greater stability in science funding and strengthening the international relevance of Brazilian scientific production. He also drew attention to a global trend: the growth of scientific production in low- and middle-income countries, which redefines the international landscape and opens new opportunities for collaboration – especially with countries in Asia and Latin America.
Another highlight was the emphasis on the social impact of research and its connection to the territories, a theme that should gain more weight in the next evaluation cycle. According to the director, postgraduate studies need to contribute not only to scientific production, but also to solving local and national problems. "Knowledge needs to engage with the reality of the country. In many cases, only we can respond to our own challenges," Souza Filho opined.
The meeting reinforced the importance of ongoing dialogue between CAPES and higher education institutions, at a time of reflection on the role of postgraduate studies in the training of human resources and in the scientific and social development of Brazil.
Society
The pursuit of quality and impact in scientific production has gained centrality in the Brazilian academic debate, especially in the context of recent changes in postgraduate evaluation criteria. The director also pointed out that the system, previously strongly oriented towards the quantity of publications, is undergoing a shift towards valuing more relevant results with a greater contribution to society.
According to the analysis presented by Souza Filho, national scientific production has already reached a high level in terms of volume. The current challenge, therefore, is not to produce more, but to produce better. In this scenario, some areas have adopted measures considered bold, such as limiting the number of papers that each professor can submit for evaluation – even if their total output is significantly higher. The strategy seeks to highlight higher quality research, rather than considering the complete set of publications.
Scientific journals
The rapid expansion of scientific journals also raises concerns, which were addressed at the meeting. Questionable editorial practices and increasing pressure on researchers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, to publish at any cost were mentioned as examples. This scenario has led to a proliferation of repetitive articles or articles with a low degree of innovation, which compromises the overall quality of scientific production, according to the director of CAPES. "In this context, it is necessary to reclaim the original meaning of research: to answer relevant questions and advance knowledge, without publication being the ultimate goal in itself.""Souza Filho commented."
According to the Vice-Rector for Research, Ana Frattini, Professor Antonio Gomes' visit to Unicamp was very relevant. "The topics discussed and his vision on evaluation brought us clarity on the importance of university autonomy in finding the best path for its graduate programs. Once the program planning is determined, the indicators are found later, and not the other way around," she emphasized.
A Capes It is a foundation of the Ministry of Education (MEC). Its main function is to finance, evaluate, and promote postgraduate courses. stricto sensu (Master's and doctoral degrees) in Brazil, in addition to granting scholarships and training teachers for basic education.
