Audit report : STATE OF SAO PAULO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

THIS EVAL INCLUDED EXAMINATION OF GOB FINANCIAL RECORDS & LOAN-RELATED DOCUMENTS, AND DISCUSSIONS WITH PROJ PERSONNEL. USAID PROVIDED $15 MILLION TO THE STATE OF SAO PAULO IN 5/73 IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH PLNNG & MGMT,INFORMATION SYSTEMS EXTENSION,MARKETING & REFERENCE SERVICES,MARKET-RESEARCH,TECHNOLOGICAL EXTENSION UNITS,REFERENCE & TESTING LABORATORIES,NEW TECHNOLOGICAL SERVICES,AND COORDINATION & RESOURCE ALLOCATION. THE PROJ,WHILE STILL IN ITS INITIAL PHASE,IS PROGRESSING AS PLNND. AS OF 7/31/74,A TOTAL OF $3,129,738 HAD BEEN COMMITTED AND $269,375 DISBURSED. THE SAO PAULO STATE COUNCIL OF TECHNOLOGY AWARDED CONTRACTS FOR TECH ASSISTANCE & TRNG TO THE DENVER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (METALLURGY),VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY (MGMT),CONSORTIUM FOR THE DEVELPMNT OF TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY),STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE (MARKETING),AND THE MASS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (SCIENCE POLICY). A FUND FOR SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT WAS ESTABLISHED AND HAS FINANCED RESEARCH & ENGINEERING PROJS,FACILITIES,AND EQUIPMENT. MARKETING SURVEYS ARE BEING CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE RESEARCH CAPABILITIES OF MORE THAN 100 RESEARCH INSTITUTES WITHIN THE STATE FOR MORE EFFECTIVE INTERACTION BETWEEN INDUSTRY & THE INSTITUTES. EXTENSIVE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE US NATL BUREAU OF STANDARDS DELAYED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SYSTEM FOR STANDARDIZATION & QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR THE INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH & FOOD TECHNOLOGY. APPROXIMATELY 75 MAN-YRS OF TECHNICAL SERVICES INVOLVING POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS AT THE UNIV OF SAO PAULO ARE PLNND. THE PRECISE AREAS OF STUDY & THE MECHANISM FOR OBTAINING THE POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS HAVE NOT BEEEN ESTABLISHED. DEMONSTRATION PROJS IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY & METALLURGY ARE UNDERWAY. THE AUDITORS RECOMMEND THAT THE FOOD TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION SUBPROJ BE COORDINATED WITH SIMILAR ACTIVITIES BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE NATL CATTLE RESEARCH PROJ(LOAN 512-L-077). THE AUDITORS ALSO RECOMMEND THAT THE STATE COUNCIL ENSURE PROVISION OF SEMI-ANNUAL INDEPENDENT AUDITS AS REQUIRED.