Established in 1986, Casa de Oswaldo Cruz is a long-standing research center in the history of science and health and also a leading institution in the fields of memory, cultural heritage and collections, and science communication.
With a multidisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to these activities, Casa de Oswaldo Cruz maintains a strong scientific output and supports the training of new researchers, consolidating its position as a national and international reference in its fields of expertise.
Research in the history of science and health seeks to produce knowledge on a wide range of topics relevant to the field, engaging with broader approaches in the humanities and social sciences, as well as with contemporary issues in health and in the development of science and technology in Brazil. These fields have seen growing exchange and cooperation with research groups in Brazil and abroad.
The area currently has 25 professionals, including seven research productivity fellows from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and two visiting researchers. These professionals are members of the Department of Research in the History of Science and Health (Depes) and are currently organized into seven research groups certified by CNPq.
Research on memory, heritage, and collections seeks to foster reflection on these three concepts, considering both the specific features that distinguish them within their respective fields of study and the ways in which they intersect, with particular attention to issues related to science and health.
Much of the research focuses on the memory and heritage of Fiocruz in their multiple dimensions. Questions surrounding the preservation and democratization of knowledge are relevant to all the different types of collections held by the institution. Similar concerns arise in relation to new technologies and their role in the collection, preservation, and dissemination of these materials, in dialogue with the digital humanities.
Casa de Oswaldo Cruz (COC/Fiocruz) conducts research in science communication through the Center for Studies in Science Communication (NEDC), the Center for Museum Audience Studies and Evaluation (Nepam), and the National Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology (INCT-CPCT).
The Center for Studies in Science Communication (NEDC) aims to foster reflection, debate, and research on various aspects of science in society, in collaboration with leading research institutions in Brazil and abroad.
The Center for Museum Audience Studies and Evaluation (Nepam) conducts research in museum education, producing data through exhibition analysis, providing training for museum educators, developing educational materials for museums and science communication initiatives, and conducting studies in scientometrics.
Within the National Institute of Public Communication of Science and Technology (INCT-CPCT), Casa de Oswaldo Cruz investigates, develops, applies, and tests methodologies, tools, and initiatives related to science communication that help improve science and technology popularization and science education activities.
NEDC and Nepam
INCT-CPCT
