Strengthening extension in the science field: an analysis of ProExt/MEC notices

Abstract

The present article proposes the analysis of the strengthening of university extension in the scientific field. In order to do so, it departs from the main national extension notice: ProExt - University Extension Program - a partnership between the Ministry of Education (MEC), the Ministry of Culture (MinC) and the Pro-Rectors Forum Extension of the Brazilian Public Universities (Forproex). More specifically, the results of the mentioned notice between 2009 and 2016 (with the exception of 2012). The text begins with a brief contextualization of university extension in the country, from its appearance in the 1930s to the year 2016. Besides, it focuses on the distribution of resources between research lines, regions of the country and types of institutions, the growth and decline of the amount destined to the notice, among other topics obtained through the ProExt / MEC results. Finally, the article discusses the collected data using theories of authors such as Pierre Bourdieu, Renato Dagnino and Luciana Maria Cerqueira Castro, who draw relevant and necessary reflections to understand the effective meanings of the 376% growth in investment in projects of extension since the year 2008 in Brazil.

Keywords:
University extension; science field; ProExt/MEC; salvation