The molecular oncology research agenda in São Paulo, Brazil (1971-2013)

In the first decade of the 21st century, a new interdisciplinary field of biomedical research, known as Molecular Oncology, was developed significantly in some industrial countries ¿ among them, Brazil. As a sign of this development, in 1980 there were only four published scientific papers on the area in indexed journals in the Web of Science. By the end of 2012, their number got to 2171 papers. However, the development of research in Molecular Oncology was more dynamic in institutions from the State of São Paulo, where 54% of the national scientific production lies. At last, what could explain this concentration? This research focuses on the trajectory of research in Molecular Oncology in the State of São Paulo. The objective is to analyse which factors made this research agenda assume a specific configuration ¿ on one hand, in terms of the evolution and distribution of the state expenditure on research and training of human resources (by area of knowledge according to FAPESP and research institutions) and, on the other hand, in terms of the current disposition of the scientific production in the state (by knowledge category according to the Web of Science and research institutions). The methodology is based on Mix Methods Research, that allies (1) semi structured interviews with 16 researchers and policy managers involved in the area in the State level; (2) database analysis about the expenditure on the area by FAPESP (research grants and scholarships) from 1993 to 2012; (3) compilation of scientific publications (papers) from the State of São Paulo that are indexed in the Web of Science, from 1993 to 2012; and (4) documentary research on the history of research institutions that have allowed the development of the research field in the State. The concept of "research agenda" contributes to an analysis focused on science and technology policy, especially when discussed in its historical and regional dimension. It identifies with greater precision the role of various actors in the configuration of an institutional environment for interdisciplinary fields of science (AU)