The dynamics of biomedical research organization in Brazil: the anatomy of a recent experience at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation1

Abstract

Biomedical research has undergone changes in the last four decades which have affected the design of new scientific approaches, the study of diseases associated with pathogenic microorganisms and the development of new products and industrial production processes. Additionally, they have affected new methodologies for preventing, treating and diagnosing transmissible and non-transmissible diseases, particularly the neglected ones. By identifying such elements, can we state that Brazil is witnessing the emergence of a new form of organizing the processes of research and production of technical-scientific knowledge in health? We attempt to answer this question through an analysis of the local dynamics in using organization and scientific research coordination tools in a centenarian institution with a strong tradition in biomedical research in Brazil, namely the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. We start by providing an analytical description of the Foundation between 2001 and 2003. This description comprises three sections which cover: the organization and institutional goals; fields of research; management and assessment methods regarding scientific research and technological development at Fiocruz; means of funding and assessment methods and the configuration and dynamics of cooperative networks. We conclude by making some final comments of a general and specific nature. This aims to make a contribution in order to help perfect the local organization process of scientific research targeting technological advancement in the field of Brazilian public health in an institution which has been playing a central role in formulating, implementing and assessing health policies in the country.