The Brazilian National Program for Engineering Development - Prodenge

THE BRAZILIAN NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT - PRODENGE

W. P. LONGO, I. ROCHA

Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), Brasilia, Brazil

and

L.V. LOUREIRO

Ministry of Education and Sports (MEC),

Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brasilia, Brazil

Procedings of the world Congress of Engineering Education Industry Leaders, p. 485 a 500, UNESCO, Paris ( 1996)

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the Brazilian National Program for Engineering Development - PRODENGE. PRODENGE program is a coordinated initiative of four federal agencies from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education and Sports. It aims to induce the restructure and modernization of the engineering research and education in Brazil in order to attune it to the new national and world economic and social order. PRODENGE will be active in two complementary directions: the Reengineering of Engineering Teaching (Rengenharia do Ensino de Engenharia) - REENGE, supporting institutional projects oriented to the introduction of a new paradigm in technological education dealing with holistic integration in all study levels and the creation of Cooperative Research Networks (Redes Cooperativas de Pesquisas) - RECOPE, involving interaction between universities, research institutes and business enterprises in order to bring about joint research, and experimental and engineering activities.

1. INTRODUCTION

The complex requirements of modern societies are, today, satisfied essentially by technologies resulting from the application of scientific knowledge. Since they are the results of the application of this knowledge, modern technologies and their processes of production are not easily understood and, moreover, are extremely difficult to copy. The generation of scientifically based technologies requires, as well, continuous investment in research, experimental development and engineering, together with competency in a broad spectrum of knowledge and the managerial capacity to produce new goods and services of high quality. The result has been the concentration of power at all levels. In the business sector, we see the formation of large technological conglomerates, which also give rise to the most diverse cooperative arrangements with universities, institutes of research and development (R&D) and other businesses in order to bring about technological research activities at the pre-competitive stages. In a sense, the same thing is happening with countries. We see the formation of economic blocs around technological leadership.

In the face of established competition, it becomes essential that nations, based on the consortium of their institutions, including universities and enterprises, be capable of transforming scientific knowledge into technological innovations; that is, to use it in productive activities. Beginning with the search for and systematic assimilation of knowledge for the production of technologies, which happened on a large scale in the 19th century, science ceased being a strictly cultural activity and became, increasingly, the principal ingredient of economic growth.

Society and its institutions have been enormously impacted by the profound and frequent applications of new technologies which, as a rule, change habits, values and traditions that before seemed immutable. Their introduction is almost always decided by the productive sector, without discussion or planning by society. The resultant environmental and behavioral changes are of such a magnitude and, at times, so unexpected, that the institutions have not been able to keep up with them. Thus there exists a hiatus between techno-scientific advance and the ability of social groups to organize in order to deal with the new reality.

It is necessary, moreover, to understand that technological progress has caused profound changes in the modes of production, and in the distribution of the labor force and its qualifications. That the qualifications required to work in any sector of production keep getting higher and higher places enormous pressure on the education and professional training system. Given the dynamic of technological changes, individuals who do not keep up with them will become prematurely unsuited for work. They will become part of what has been called structural unemployment.

The university, instituted more than 700 years ago, is part of this scene. It, too, is evolving constantly in order to fulfill its role in a changing world, basing itself on a new concept which transcends that of a mere conglomerate of professional schools. The contemporary university, besides having the primary mission of preparing citizens for life by teaching them, among other things, a profession, is a key element in the generation and diffusion of knowledge. Its commitment goes beyond established wisdom, with its book culture and its transmission. Its commitment includes research for the generation and application of new knowledge.

Given this situation, and the challenges the universities face, the evolution of teaching and research becomes increasingly important, particularly in engineering, the area most directly involved and affected by technological advance. It is engineering that transforms the overwhelming majority of inventions deriving from any area of knowledge into goods and services, that is, into innovations.

This fact increases the importance of excellency in the formation of engineers by the universities, besides excellency in the development of researchers at the graduate level.

In a very summary way, it can be said that the engineer should be prepared in such a way that, throughout his/her professional life, he/she will develop, perfect, master and apply technologies, with the purpose of producing goods and services that will respond adequately and promptly to society's needs--that is, with quality and appropriate costs.

It is, therefore, considered urgent that there be a complete revision of methodology and content in our engineering courses, given that in the last decades the demands on engineers have evolved more rapidly than the educational system's capacity to adapt to and meet them. Efforts should also be made to promote cooperative activities that promise to contribute to the technological competency of businesses.

2. THE PRESENT SITUATION OF ENGINEERING IN BRAZIL (TEACHING AND RESEARCH)

The number of engineers in Brazil is still small, compared to that of more developed countries, even considering the differing economic realities (five out of a thousand employed workers, compared to 15 to 25 out of a thousand in first world countries), Morita (1). This small representation of engineering in society is clearly inadequate to sustain the process of development and make the Brazilian economy more competitive. Only 10% of university graduates major in engineering courses, as compared to more than 25% in the United States. There is, moreover, a high concentration of engineering students in civil engineering programs (45% compared to 14% in the United States).

Young high school graduates' interest in engineering has declined, as demonstrated by the number of candidates seeking to gain entry by writing entrance exams. In addition, the universities complain of inadequate teaching in the sciences and mathematics at the high school level. This impacts negatively on the formation of engineers, contributing to students having to repeat, or discontinue, in the first two, basic years.

The number of graduate engineering students in Brazil is revealing in relation to other disciplines, but small compared to developed countries. Of 1,804 students awarded doctorates in Brazil in 1994, 232 were engineers, CAPES (2),_in the United States in 1989, of a total of 34,319 doctorates, 4536 were in engineering. The professor/student ratio in engineering programs is inferior to the average in every other discipline. The preference of graduate students is for electrical engineering (25%), followed by mechanical (16%), production (15%) and civil engineering (13%).

There are great differences of quality, both between specialties and between university institutions, while only some few can be compared to the best in developed countries.

Interaction with the production sector has promoted, in some cases, the very successful involvement of academics in projects with a large technological component. Besides this, technological research activities are also developed in R&D institutes and centers.

3. THE COOPERATIVE RESEARCH

Since the early 1970s, in many industrialized countries, there have been various attempts to diminish the costs of research, studies, and technological developments, and to make better use of available technological potential. These attempts encouraged the development of partnerships for technological development, called cooperative research.

This activity is characterized by the formulation of a project aimed at the generation of new technological knowledge, to be carried out in a collective manner. To this end, institutions cooperate in research, and businesses participate with financial resources or technicians in exchange for having access to the information produced. This form of association aims at the development of technologies at the pre-commercial stage, which makes possible the participation of competing enterprises.

This procedure is becoming one of the principal mechanisms for technological development and diffusion in developed countries. The reduction of costs, the broad spectrum of the technology's applications, the increased reliability of the technologies, with the corresponding reduction of the risks involved in their application, as well as their accessibility to small and medium-sized enterprises, produce a great potential for diffusion and for increasing the capacity for integration of the university, the business sector, and the community. These are the features that have motivated the use of this approach.

There are various forms of organization of cooperative research. For example, as the result of an R&D institution's initiative, or that of a business enterprise (leader), who invite other partners to participate with financial contributions or in carrying out parts of a joint project. The projects establish clear objectives, and a well-defined management structure, including the specification of goals, time lines, and the appropriation of results, as well as the monitoring and evaluation process that will inform eventual changes to its directions and strategies. They might span a rather broad range of objectives, from procedural improvements aimed at reducing the costs of production, to offering technological services and to developing capability at the cutting edge of a technology.

4. THE SCOPE AND BUDGET OF PRODENGE

To meet all these challenges and to take better advantage of existing potential and competencies, with a view to improving the country's ability to be economically competitive, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education, in October, 1995 created the Brazilian National Program for Engineering Development - PRODENGE. The objective of the program is to bring about the structuring and modernizing of both teaching and research in the area of pure research. Thus, PRODENGE, with its two sub-programs, will be active in two complementary directions: the Reengineering of Engineering Teaching (Rengenharia do Ensino de Engenharia) - REENGE, and the creation of Cooperative Research Networks (Redes Cooperativas de Pesquisas) - RECOPE, involving interaction between universities, research institutes and business enterprises in order to bring about joint research, and experimental and engineering activities.

Given the program's scope, its final conception resulted from the mobilization and consequent contributions of the academic community, of engineers in technology research centers and institutes, of business leaders, as well as of national engineering associations.

The aforementioned Ministries will allocate, annually, portions of their budgets, and will use resources acquired from the Interamerican Development Bank (Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento) - BID and matching contributions from the National Treasury for the operationalizing of PRODENGE, according to the amounts represented in the following table:

Source
Sub-Program / Ministry of Education and Sports / Ministry of Science & Technology (MST) / Interamerican Development Bank - IBD and MST / TOTAL
REENGE / US$ 14,000,000 / US$ 14,000,000 / US$ 4,500,000 / US$ 32,500,000
RECOPE / --- / --- / US$ 45,500,000 / US$ 45,500,000

Table 1: Funding Distribuition for PRODENGE.

Of the US$ 28 million anticipated for REENGE, US$ 14 million has already been distributed to 24 engineering teaching institutions in the whole country. RECOPE is up and running, with eight research networks having been established and currently detailing their projects in order to receive funding.

5. DETAILS OF PRODENGE SUB-PROGRAMS

5.1 Reengineering of Engineering Teaching - REENGE

With this program, PRODENGE will support university entities in the areas of engineering and the basic disciplines (physics, chemistry, informatics, mathematics, etc.) with a view to promoting a process of restructuring of higher education, stimulating the achievement of a variety of teaching experiments based on research activities and experimental development, on modern professional practice and on interaction with production sectors--all aimed at the formation of competent and creative engineers.

The sub-program intends to support institutional projects oriented towards a catalyzing action, in a new culture of technological education in academia, with a systematic integration among the diverse levels of instruction (high school, under-graduate and graduate), between the basic disciplines and professionals, as well as between the university and production sectors.

At the high school level of instruction, the sub-program will contribute to its improvement primarily in the sciences, mathematics and informatics, and by stimulating students to choose engineering as a vocation.

One of the sub-program's objectives is the development of a new generation of students who, having become familiar with the best professional practice, are able to integrate their techno-scientific understandings with a view to innovation and the solving of technological problems.

The participating institutions must commit themselves to the dissemination of their experiences and to the formation of consortia to develop new or modified courses, based on inter-disciplinary principles and teamwork.

For the students, their experiences of instruction linked to businesses, stimulated by the sub-program, can also be highly advantageous in opening new opportunities in the labor market, as a result of the reduced time needed to prepare them for productive work, because of their familiarity with technological and industrial issues, their systematic treatment of real problems, and their acquired capability to integrate their interdisciplinary knowledge.

The organization and management of the projects encompassed by REENGE requires the effective participation of the directors of centers, department heads, program coordinators, managers and specifically dedicated teams, and the commitment of professors with acknowledged leadership in their institutions, both among their peers and in the teaching body.

We consider it important, moreover, to involve the teachers of the basic disciplines, both in the planning and the execution of engineering teaching activities. The most qualified teachers, and those with research experience should be involved at the graduate level.

5.2 Cooperative Research Networks - RECOPE

As indicated earlier, cooperative research is, today, one of the major means for the development and diffusion of technologies in developed countries, which have tried various ways of reducing the costs of research activities, experimental development and engineering, to reduce the risks associated with the introduction of new technologies, and to take advantage of existing technological capability.

This manner of organizing R&D activities can also be used to promote stronger interactions between the engineering teaching and research centers of excellence and businesses, in order to increase the technological competence of the production sector, making it more competitive, and to improve technology education programs in higher education.

Therefore, while the scope of RECOPE includes some of the objectives of REENGE, it is, on the other hand, oriented toward supporting primarily the engineering teaching and research centers able to interact with and respond to the technological demands of businesses or of society, through government agencies.

Actually, the intent is to form a nucleus of flexible, active and lasting networks among institutions which are disposed to work together at achieving relevant goals, which contribute to increasing the potential of technologies presently in use, and with which the country has been successful, especially generic technologies with potential for wide application, and cutting edge technologies. Competency in these should to be reinforced or developed.

To give direction to the definition of topics to be supported by projects involved in the program, research was done on the fields in which businesses have been competitive, and on technologies considered essential for future development, according to forecasts or current developments in the country and abroad. Based on the resulting information, the program contracted a team specialized in studying the exploitation and evaluation of technology to consult with the scientific, technology and business communities, as well as with government technicians and authorities. The topics judged to be relevant were the following:

• industrial automation;
• advanced process in metalurgical and mechanical transforming;
• transport engineering;
• agro-industrial engineering: food industries and
• hydrological management and engineering.
• basic sanitation
• informatics applied to engineering
• technological education and training

Besides establishing cooperative networks around these topics, support was anticipated for consolidating already existing networks, or such as might be established for the development of topics which, while not considered initially, might be judged pertinent and be recommended during the proposal selection process.

Proposals will have to observe the following conditions: participation by users of the project results; creation of linkages with the production sector; choice of interdisciplinary topics directed towards overcoming identified technological limitations; searching out and taking advantage of the buying power of large enterprises; contribution to the solution of social problems and to sustainable development; improvement of infrastructure; and potential for influencing changes in the technological foundation.

6. SELECTION, IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The process of selecting among the proponents who responded to a notice of a public call for proposals was guided by the principle of cooperative competition, rather than that of a divisive dispute.

Implementation is carried out in such a manner as to give the greatest possible autonomy to the participants in the development of resources, with a view to their better utilization.

Performance indicators will be defined on a case by case basis, in keeping with the purposes, strategies and goals spelled out in the projects, and the conditions formally accepted in the contracts. Federal agencies and state foundations which support research are natural agents in the processes of monitoring and evaluating projects.

In the case of RECOPE-related projects, the business enterprises involved are natural participants in the processes of monitoring and evaluation, though sectored technological bodies, techno-scientific societies and producers' associations, as well as government agencies interested in the developed topics might also be mobilized.

REFERENCES

1. Morita, Y in Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Education, Singapore (1993), pp. 427-434.

2. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES-MEC, “Situação da Pós-Graduação - 1994/CAPES”, Brasília (1995).