Instituto TIM, in partnership with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), officially launched its first public notice to support science and technology museums and centers during the opening of the National Week of Science and Technology. A public call will select proposals of activities concerning outreach, education and product development related to light to an audience of children between 4 and 10 years old. In addition to the theme chosen to celebrate the International Year of Light, in 2015, other initiatives that promote science for this age group may also be entered.
The public notice is part of the line of support for science and technology museums and centers conducted by Instituto TIM since 2012. “Instituto TIM had the sensibility to launch a public notice relevant both for the population and for the policy in the area of science and technology. This is the first Brazilian public notice for science that has only private funds,” said Douglas Falcão, director of Popularization and Dissemination of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The total amount of the public notice is R$ 2.5 million, to be distributed among all selected proposals.
“This is the action with the largest scope in Brazil for the International Year of Light. We have no information about any other institution that combined a national impact with a contribution amount like this public notice,” said Douglas. The choice of the target audience for the proposals was for an age group still rarely addressed in public notices, children. “This is a critical age group. Studies in several countries show that the interaction of children with science and technology should be made as soon as possible. We also hope it will be an incentive for other projects to serve this age group,” he said.
Institutions across the country have until November 19th to submit their projects via the Online Proposal Form of Carlos Chagas Platform. The process is open to non-profit education and/or research institutions; non-profit research and development institutes and centers; public companies that perform research activities in science, technology or innovation; and non-profit institutions that promote activities of museums and exploration of places and historic buildings and similar attractions, related to science and technology. The public notice is available on this link (in Portuguese).
