Brazil approves over US$183 million in additional budget for Communications and Science Ministries

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The endorsement by the Brazilian Congress amended the 2022 Budget Law proposal, presented by the Executive, and leaves behind the memory of the budget allocated to the Science portfolio in 2019, which was cut by 40% and fell to historic levels.

This news is comes in a context of positive progress, after the recent 5G auction raised US$8.5 billion.

Looking in detail at these six initiatives, Bill 18/21 grants a credit of just over US$3 million, with 95% intended to enable the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT), the readjustment of budgetary planning and the implementation of new development policies, to be decided by MCTI’s Board of Directors, while the balance is to be redirected to the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety.

Another R$850 (US$155) million in Bill 19/2021 will be divided between the promotion of research and development focused on innovation, digital technologies and the productive process (R$600 million); support for digital inclusion initiatives and projects (R$200 million); the implementation of infrastructure to enable the Strategic Program for Spatial Systems (PESE), with R$40 million; and R$10 million to support rehabilitation, accessibility and technological modernization projects and works.

In addition to these initiatives, over R$850 (US$157) million were granted in Bill 31/2021 by way of supplementary credit from the Federal Government’s Fiscal and Social Security Budgets, in favor of several Executive branch bodies and Official Credit Operations, to reinforce the allocations contained in the current Budget Law.

In this case, the bill provides for the distribution of 32.1% of the resources allocated to the Ministry of Education to reinforce strategic actions and guidelines in the sector, in addition to 15.8% which, through the Secretariat of Communications, seeks to strengthen access to mobile broadband Internet for students in basic education in the public school system from households registered in the Federal Government’s Unified Registry of Social Programs. The balance will be shared by other portfolios, including the MCTI and Infrastructure.

Another R$400 (US$73.7) million will be added as a special credit to the sector, through the approval of Bill 33/2021. Among other initiatives, it allocates US$1.3 million to MCom for the implementation of Infrastructure for North and Northeast Connected Projects, Conecta Brasil and support for digital inclusion initiatives, as well as supporting the continuity and completion of the first stage of the Infovia project, “in order to implement high-capacity networks, linking educational and research institutions through high-speed fiber optic networks and metro systems in several municipalities in the State of Rio Grande do Norte.”

In addition to all of the above, Bills 12/2021 and 16/2021 being processed by the Senate Science and Technology Commission (CCT), could add another R$2.7 billion (US$494.5 million) to the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT).

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