Mira Fernandes e a investigação científica em Portugal no período entre as duas guerras mundiais

Abstract

The advent of Republic in 1910 brought important higher education reforms in Portugal which implied that the new teachers should get scientific training in advanced Europe countries. Looking for a more solid relation with the scientific developed Europe, Spain created in 1907 an institution with the purpose of reducing its scientific backwardness. Following the Spanish example and after several failed attempts, in the beginning of 1924 the republican government submitted a diploma for the creation of an educational board with the purpose of guiding the science investigation and the pedagogical renewal of the country, the “Board for Directing Studies” («Junta de Orientação dos Estudos» , JON). As in previous attempts, the Parliament did not approve the project. Only in 1929, with a military dictatorship governing the country, the Minister of Education approved the Decree creating the “Board for National Instruction” («Junta de Educação Nacional», JEN). This new institution in certain aspects was similar to the previous one (JON) and its main purposes were directed to support scientific research institutions, to direct a grants service for national and foreign apprenticeships and to promote specific research, based on the experience of ex-grant holders. In this context we intend to analyze the relations of Aureliano Mira Fernandes with (JEN) and also with other Portuguese mathematicians who started their scientific work in the thirties