Electronic engineer Antonio Carlos de Souza Abrantes, a patent scholar and author of books on the subject, has created a website dedicated to Brazilian science. The website cientistaspatentes.com.br showcases patents of 812 Brazilian scientists among the 100,000 most cited researchers in international publications, according to a study carried out by Stanford University and published in the 2021 edition of the renowned PLOS (Public Library of Science). The website also shows court decisions relating to patents.
How did the idea for the website come about?
Antonio Carlos de Souza Abrantes: It emerged from the dissemination of research data carried out by Stanford University, showing that 0.8% of the most-cited scientists in specialized international journals were Brazilians. The website proposes to give more visibility to these 812 Brazilians who appear on the list and investigate the number of patent applications associated with each researcher, as well as the collection of data from each researcher using the Lattes platform. This survey has the support of students from the BPTO Academy under the coordination of Professor Rita Machado.
What information is on the page?
ACSA: The page shows the CVs of the 812 scientists with research in Brazil that appear on the list. The website allows searching by States of the Federation, the scientist’s name, or the institution to which he is linked. It also identifies the following groups: women (112), Blacks (six), and holders of patent applications (310, that is, something as 38%, deemed reasonable considering that much research is not directly subject to patents, such as social sciences). It also showcases a ranking with those holding the highest number of patent deposits.
How do you evaluate Brazilian participation in research?
ACSA: The list published in the PLOS journal shows 100,000 researchers, of which only 812 have their research based in Brazil. Many of them are foreigners, demonstrating the internationalization and integration of our science with other research centers. Interestingly, some are deceased, but they continue to be cited in articles today, such as the agronomist Johanna Döbereiner, the biochemist Otto Gottlieb and the plastic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy, which shows their international relevance.
