In 2008, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) – the leading research agency in Brazil – in collaboration with the Research Foundations of the various Brazilian states, called for the creation of “National Institutes of Science and Technology” (CNPq), one of the most important research initiatives that Brazil has seen. CNPq’s National Institutes were conceptualized to be built upon collaborative work of national and international research groups focused on cutting edge areas of science or areas of national priority. The mission of the Institutes is to stimulate the development of competitive scientific research, innovation and objective gains for the country, besides training of human resources
