Education in Brazil - particularly higher education - is currently faced with a great challenge: meeting both quality demands as an academic merit of its scientific and technological production and the social and economic relevance of this very production. This paper approaches this issue by analyzing (1) a few aspects of the present Government's policies on education with regard to the assessment of undergraduate and graduate courses and (2) its policies for science, technology and innovation, concerning the main programmes and priorities for research funding. The analysis finally focuses on how the complex quality of knowledge production is reflected in the praxis of research leaders in different knowledge areas.
University; Scientific and technological production; Academic merit; Social and economic relevance