Geographical distribution of Brazilian scientific production and collaboration in Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

The Biomedical Sciences constitute an important field of research in Brazil, both by the study of typical local diseases and by focusing on subjects of universal interest. This study initially makes a survey of the institutionalization of Biomedical Sciences in Brazil and subsequently analyzes the geographical distribution of production and scientific collaboration in these areas in the country in order to understand the current settings of the field and the concentration and dispersion of research in the national territory. This is a bibliometric study based on articles published in the last decade (2006–2015) by Brazilian researchers in journals indexed in the Web of Science. The results show the concentration of production in a few states, especially São Paulo, present in almost 50% of the articles and the most collaborative among the federal units from other regions of the country. Another highlight is the state of Rio de Janeiro, the second most productive and responsible, along with São Paulo, for the five journals that most published Biomedical Sciences articles in the period under study. Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná and Santa Catarina are the next states in terms of productivity. Federal units of the same region or geographically close form collaboration clusters. Pernambuco and Espírito Santo are also states highlighted for their modes of production and collaborative role in their clusters. The country’s northern states are the least productive followed by those of the Northeast, which indicates the need for more public policies for scientific development of these regions. The conclusion says that geographical proximity is an important factor in cooperation and even productivity considering that federal units that are more productive are close to each other and show huge collaboration between them.