Divulgação IEA

 

Researcher at work in the Space and Aeronautical Institute

The chief of Administration of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), Maurício Brandão, explained, in a public hearing organized on Thursday (15^th) by the Committee on Science and Technology, Communications and Computer Sciences, that more than 15 years are necessary to form a space engineer. According to him, it is fundamental to create a mechanism so that the experts can transfer their knowledge to new researchers before they retire.

“We could go straight to NASA’s level, buying foreign technology, but we choose to take our own path, creating jobs and stimulating the national industry. Thus, we educate, research, develop, and produce,” stated Brandão.

The DCTA assembles the Aeronautical Technological Institute (ITA) and the Space and Aeronautical Institute (IAE), in charge to develop Brazilian rocket project. Recently, a public contest was authorized there, with 94 vacancies.

“It would be perfect if the new researchers could work with the old ones, to transfer knowledge. With a lot of effort, when we get an authorization for a vacancy to be replaced by means of a public contest, the expert is missing, he retired,” he said.

With 248 masters and 311 doctors, the DCTA has currently 269 vacancies not filled. In addition, the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) disposes only of 65% of its staff in 1987.

Education
Brandão explained that the public money remain stuck and are not used to form staff. “The source of the resources for the space sector must be reconsidered. With the streamline of areas as oil and energy, there is a demand for educated engineers,” he said.

He informed that in 2010 an undergraduate school for space engineers will be opened. Nowadays, ITA has five engineer courses: Aeronautics, Electronics, Aeronautic Mechanics, Civil Aeronautics, and Computing. ITA has already trained 5,184 engineers,  84% of them being civil engineers.

New scholarships
According to the Director of the Technological and Scientific Development of the Research and Projects Financing (FINEP), Eugênius Kaszkurewicz, the space industry receives resources from Finep, but the money that should have been ensured by Law 9.994/00 is lacking.

Kaszkurewicz informed, however, that a piece of good news comes from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq),  which are sending resources for studies in space area. The CNPq shall release a public notice of a total amount of R$ 15 million to the sector.

Attracting and holding talent
Maurício Brandão, from DCTA, said that the concession of scholarships does not solve the problems. “We need to have methods to attract and hold talent and competitive wages. It’s not with scientific initiation scholarships, master’s degree and doctor’s degree scholarships that we will set up a space program", he assessed.

The president of Union of the Federal Public Servants in the Science and Technology Areas from Vale do Paraíba, Fernando Morais, said that the graduated students from ITA prefer to participate in a public contest for the Internal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) to work in the aerospace sector, in which the initial wage is roughly R$ 4,000. “In the IRS, they start with a wage of R$ 8,000. And the banks set up booths in ITA to recruit the recently graduated students because they are aware of their potential,” he said.

Reporting – Juliano Pires
Edition – João Pitella Junior
Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Edgar Casadei