The Instituto Questão de Ciência (IQC) (English: Science Question Institute) is a Brazilian non-profit organisation founded in 2018, dedicated to the promotion of scientific and critical thinking and the use of scientific evidence in public policies.

Goals

One of the primary focuses of the IQC is opposition to the spending of public funds on forms of treatment that are either ineffective or without scientific proof, as is done through the ''Política Nacional de Práticas Integrativas e Complementares'' (National Policy of Integrative and Complementary Practices) in Brazil. The IQC seeks to convince the Brazilian government to stop financing such practices through the united health system, Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Other themes that motivated the creation of the institute include the phosphorylethanolamine fiasco (during which the drug was distributed in capsules by a professor at USP with the unverified claims that it would treat different types of cancer) and the invasion by anti-animal testing activists of the Royal Institute's laboratories in São Roque in 2013, as well as controversies involving genetic heritage and food labeling. The IQC list as their focus points science education,

scientific journalism Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists, and the public. Origins Modern science journalism dates back to '' Digdarshan'' (means showing the d ...

and the skeptical movement.

Formation

The launch of the IQC took place on November 22, 2018, in São Paulo, at an event that included a lecture by British physician Edzard Ernst, an expert in the analysis of evidence about alternative therapies. Since its launch, the institute has received expressions of support from the Brazilian and international scientific community. Drauzio Varella, Paulo Saldiva, Marcelo Knobel and other Brazilian scientists expressed support for the creation of the institute, in addition to skeptic James Randi, Edzard Ernst and other personalities in the world scientific dissemination.

Board

Until December 2019, the IQC board was composed of its founding members: *

Natália Pasternak Taschner {{Infobox scientist , honorific_prefix = , name = Natalia Pasternak , honorific_suffix = , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = Natalia Pasternak IQC 2019-1 (cropped).jpg , image_size = , ...

– President * Marcelo T. Yamashita – Director of Science * Carlos Orsi – Director of Communications * Paulo Almeida – Chief Financial Officer

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite web , last1=Alves , first1=Bariel , title=Bióloga cria instituto para combater pseudociência e influenciar debate , trans-title=Biologist creates institute to combat pseudoscience and influence debate , url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ciencia/2018/10/biologa-cria-instituto-para-combater-pseudociencia-e-influenciar-debate.shtml?fbclid=IwAR1UU6Mmzyn_FTMK7WiNYYPQQ6slmICMQKEbglwDN2pmAzOxbWjcYnQv4V0 , website=www1.folha.uol.com.br , publisher=Folha de S.Paulo , accessdate=February 28, 2020 , language=pt , date=October 29, 2018, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101003903/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ciencia/2018/10/biologa-cria-instituto-para-combater-pseudociencia-e-influenciar-debate.shtml, archivedate=November 1, 2018 {{cite web , last1=de Barros , first1=Daniel Martins , title=Ciência pública , url=https://emais.estadao.com.br/blogs/daniel-martins-de-barros/ciencia-publica/ , website=Estadão , accessdate=August 24, 2020 , date=October 30, 2018 {{cite web , title=Diretoria – Conheça os membros da diretoria do IQC , website=Instituto Questão Ciência , url=https://iqc.org.br/quem-somos/diretoria , language=pt , access-date=February 28, 2020 {{cite web , last=Naísa, first=Letícia, title=Pesquisadores brasileiros criam instituto para combater pseudociência , trans-title=Brazilian researchers create institute to combat pseudoscience, website=Exame , date=November 22, 2018 , url=https://exame.abril.com.br/ciencia/pesquisadores-brasileiros-criam-instituto-para-combater-pseudociencia/ , language=pt , access-date=February 28, 2020, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211013730/https://exame.abril.com.br/ciencia/pesquisadores-brasileiros-criam-instituto-para-combater-pseudociencia/, archivedate=December 11, 2019 {{cite web , title=Lançamento do Instituto Questão de Ciência , trans-title=Launch of the Science Question Institute, website=Agência FAPESP , date=December 11, 2019 , url=https://agencia.fapesp.br/agenda-detalhe/lancamento-do-instituto-questao-de-ciencia/29242/ , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211022832/https://agencia.fapesp.br/agenda-detalhe/lancamento-do-instituto-questao-de-ciencia/29242/ , archive-date=December 11, 2019 , url-status=dead , language=pt , access-date=February 28, 2020 {{cite web , title=Por políticas públicas baseadas em evidências , trans-title=Institute of Science Issue – For evidence-based public policies, website=Instituto Questão Ciência , date=December 22, 2019 , url=https://iqc.org.br/quem-somos/iqc , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222233225/https://iqc.org.br/quem-somos/iqc , archive-date=December 22, 2019 , url-status=live , language=pt , access-date=February 28, 2020 {{cite web , title=Cientistas criam instituto para combater gastos públicos em 'pseudociências' , website=Jornal O Globo , date=November 21, 2018 , url=https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/cientistas-criam-instituto-para-combater-gastos-publicos-em-pseudociencias-23247547 , language=pt , access-date=February 28, 2020, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121171129/https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/cientistas-criam-instituto-para-combater-gastos-publicos-em-pseudociencias-23247547, archivedate=November 21, 2018 {{cite web , last1=Leite , first1=Marcelo , title=Projeto põe fé nas armas da razão contra homeopatia e outras crenças , url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/marceloleite/2018/11/projeto-poe-fe-nas-armas-da-razao-contra-homeopatia-e-outras-crencas.shtml , publisher=Folha de S. Paulo , accessdate=February 28, 2020 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116092817/https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/marceloleite/2018/11/projeto-poe-fe-nas-armas-da-razao-contra-homeopatia-e-outras-crencas.shtml , archivedate=November 16, 2018 , date=November 11, 2018{{subscription required {{cite web , last1=Pasternak , first1=Natalia, last2=Orsi, first2=Carlos , title=Skeptical Organization To Launch in Brazil , website=Skeptical Inquirer , date=October 10, 2018 , url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/skeptical-organization-to-launch-in-brazil/ , access-date=February 28, 2020, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206221653/https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/skeptical-organization-to-launch-in-brazil/, archivedate=February 6, 2020 Non-profit organisations based in Brazil Skeptic organisations in Brazil Organisations based in São Paulo