The purpose of this program results in the collective construction of a group of researchers who instituted the interactive network of Research and Graduation in Knowledge and Society (RICS), motivated by convergence of interdisciplinary studies that performed on the Knowledge-society relationship, more specifically related to the processes of dissemination and sharing of knowledge in contemporary society. This interest has and is based on very current finding, but has been presented since the decade of 1950, cleverly, by two international reference scientists: C.P. Snow in the book "As Duas Culturas" and M. Polanyi, in "Personal Knowledge" (until Today not translated into Portuguese), a finding that is thus expressed, more contemporaneously, in a summary way, by Delanty, in the pertinent reflections presented in "The Challenge of Knowledge": "Pode-se dizer que a história dos sistemas de pensamento político e social ocidentais é a expressão de um conflito profundo entre dois tipos de conhecimento: conhecimento como ciência e conhecimento como cultura” (2001, p. 1). This conflict is also revealed in the historical dichotomy "rational-social" between the empirical and normative approaches of production of scientific knowledge (LONGINO, "The Fate of Knowledge, 2002) and takes increasingly significant proportions when considers the strength of the "application" of scientific knowledge, in the impulse of the accelerated chain of technological transformations in contemporary society, but at the same time, the fact that this is a process of which few still participate (SEVCENKO, 2001).
The importance of participation of different segments of society in processes of scientific and technological transformation is another reason for instituting this proposal, which seeks to overcome restrictive factors to such participation, among which stand out:
1. The scarcity of scientific activity (Cf. Information collected in the directory of CNPq research groups) related to the search for understanding the complexity of the processes of knowledge generation in specific communities – scientific, technological, " Practice "(LAVE, 1996) – and dissemination of this knowledge to the enlarged community (FRÓES BURNHAM, 2002);
2. Insufficient publicization of knowledge and, therefore, insufficient socialization of what is produced in those specific communities, publicizing this that aims to inform the enlarged Community, including the communities themselves Specific to those that produce this knowledge (ZIMAN 1968);
3. The lack of social locus of knowledge sharing, where information is not only available, but can transform explicit knowledge in implicit, (POLANYI, 1976) of personal domain, which can again be transformed into Collective knowledge, through collaborative or cooperative processes, in these multi-referential learning spaces (FRÓES BURNHAM, 2000).
It is understood that the scarcity referred to in item 1 stems from the fact that such scientific activity is located in an extremely complex interdisciplinary field, requiring many studies, especially with regard to the area of "dissemination of knowledge in Society", according to Galeão (2003, p. 3), justifying the project" Computational Modeling of Knowledge diffusion ", of the National Laboratory of Scientific Computing/Ministry of Science and Technology. This need still becomes more pressing when the informational economy becomes determinant of a society where knowledge is less regarded as well immaterial to be more emphasized as market value (CASTELLS, 1999). Value so important that it comes to generate the denominations "Society of Knowledge" and "information society" which, according to the Reflections of Fróes Burnham (2000); Mnemosyne and Fróes Burnham (2003), imply asymmetric relations of power and, therefore, refer to the need to institute the "Learning Society", where it is not only access to information or the generation and transfer of knowledge that matter, but Also the transformation of this into an element of construction of autonomous and instituting social individuals (CASTORIADIS, 1982), participants of a transformation based on the "paradigm of prudent knowledge for a decent life", as it has been proposing Boaventura Santos (1995, 2002, 2004), since the second half of the years 90.
The relationship current scenario of Brazilian society; It has been, for some time, of international interest and has taken different strands of analysis, among which stand out:
1. More previously:
1.1. In the aforementioned Works of Polanyi (1958) – which seeks to establish a bridge between "science" and "humanity", "universal" and personal knowledge – and Ziman, (1968) – which discusses the "social dimensions of Science";
1.2. In the approach of the dynamics of paradigms changes, expressed in the works of Thomas Kuhn (1962);
2. More contemporaneously, the reasoned approaches:
2.1. In the "quantitative modelling of social, economic, biological, ecological and environmental Phenomena" (GALEÃO, 2003, referring to Gomes; Varriale, 2001; Frank, 1998; Hofbauer Sigmund, 1998; Hannon, 1997; Othmer Encyclopedia Adler Lewis Dallon, 1997 and Mahajan; Peterson, 1985);
2.2. In the humanities and social sciences, the example of Solomon (1992, 1994) Latour (1987, 1999) dealing with the relationship between scientists within their communities and those located in the complex of enlarged communities that constitute, even, their supports;
2.3. In the concrete relations of the contemporary productive world, well represented by Gibbons et al. (1994) and Delanty (2002), which draw attention, from different perspectives, to "the new way of producing knowledge", in the context of its own " Application ", which raises challenges for universities and research institutions, expanding production spaces and reducing the distances between production, transfer and dissemination of knowledge;
2.4. From the perspective of the knowledge management of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1997), which brings to the fore a model for the understanding of the tacit-explicit-tacit knowledge cycle, in constant expansion.
These analyses reaffirm the need for an interdisciplinary and multi-referential approach to the investigation of the processes of generation and dissemination of knowledge, for which it is imperative to organize groups of "researchers with diversified formations and appropriate to the problem [...] This approximation between professionals from different areas is one of the most critical points of the [...] Current scientific paradigms and requires patience, persistence and continuous support "(GALEÃO, 2003). Obviously, for the formation of these interdisciplinary groups, there is a significant installed capacity of researchers in several areas related to the object of research intended. Based on the research group Directory of CNPq, it appears that in the country as a whole there are, according to the sense of 2004, 19,470 research groups, 91,512 researchers, of which 60,242 are doctors. Of these groups, 2,760 (14.2%) are distributed in the Northeast and Bahia contributes 728, (3.7% of the national rate). In this state, UFBA participates with 348 groups, 1,715 researchers, among which 1,081 are doctors, occupying the 13th place among the Brazilian institutions. The other Bahia universities do not have their data explicitly disclosed, since they do not have the minimum limit of 200 doctors, a cutoff point established by CNPq. This information demonstrates the lack of training of researchers in the state and, Indirectly, but certainly, the need for initiatives aimed at this training in the field of dissemination of knowledge, where there is no graduate program registered in CAPES, according to information disclosed in the portal of this Agency (www.capes.gov.br).
If the imperative of expanding the conditions for the dissemination of knowledge arises when dealing with the issue in the academic context, it becomes even more blunt when it is also treated as the political, social and economic scope of the unequal distribution of Knowledge in society and its even more unequal appropriation by different social groups. This inequality has proved to be one of the most important factors in the agenda of the discussion of social exclusion, now also taken as the exclusion of large portions of the population from a given domain of knowledge, technological, electronic basis and in Digital language; So important that it has received billions of dollars worldwide and is the main emphasis of the World Summit on the Information Society, coordinated by the UN. Despite all the criticisms that can be made in this "supranational" treatment of the issue of digital exclusion, it is undoubtedly "a theme for all" (SALAINEN; LIMA, 2004). In Brazil, the situation is one of the most serious, compared to what has occurred in the international scenario and, within the country, the Northeast region presents the most critical situation, and Bahia is among the units of the federation with higher rates of Exclusion. "According to recently disclosed research data from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, which mapped the situation of digital inclusion in Brazil, approximately 88% of the country's population do not have Internet access. Of each 100 inhabitants, only 8.31% are Internet users (in the USA are 65) and 12.46 have PCs (in the USA are 60). Of the total number of Internet users 42% are of class A, which represents 5% of the total population; 48.7% of Class B, 19% of the total; And only 9% are of classes C, D and E, 32%, 42% and 2% of the total population, respectively ". (Digital Inclusion Baiano program, 2004).
It is not without reason, therefore, that the state of Bahia has, among its priority programs those of Digital inclusion, with the program indicated above, which has already implanted more than 300 infocenters, in 276 municipalities in the State (under the Secretariat of Science and Technology), as well As with the installation of the "Citizen room" at each station of the SAC (under the secretariat of Administration), to give free Internet access to the population of "digital excluded". In addition to these projects are also the state science and technology policies, in the definition of whose priorities are the "Strengthening of the scientific basis", "research and technology for social and environmental areas" and "technologies of Information and communication ", with explicit lines of action, among which some in which this project is inserted, such as:
1. "Fostering doctoral and Master's courses, aiming to build training in strategic areas for the state of Bahia, through [...] of stimulating the articulation between local universities, as well as between them and institutions in other states and countries ";
2. "Support for the acquisition, maintenance and sharing of the laboratory infrastructure [...] Generating greater efficiency in the use of the laboratory base ";
3. "Support for the formation of human resources and the strengthening and modernization of laboratory infrastructure for the teaching of sciences [...]";
4. "Support for the dissemination of distance learning technologies as an instrument for expanding and improving access to scientific learning";
5. "Encouraging the formation of interinstitutional cooperation networks around ICT-related topics, such as free software and application development [...]. (BAHIA, SECTI, 2004).
For realization of this policy, it is necessary to expand the research base, such as institution of research and graduate programs for the (in)formation of researchers and other high-level professionals to (1) Expand the competence installed for the Achievement of scientific and technological development projects, through processes of knowledge modeling and cognitive analysis, formations that are still nonexistent in the state; (2) Guaranteeing access to scientific education and infoeducation (FRÓES BURNHAM, 2005) to broad layers of the population in the perspective of the formation of cognitive lasts for such development in the long term; (3) Improve distribution and ensure the appropriation, in the enlarged community, of knowledge produced by the specific communities mentioned above, through processes of dissemination of such knowledge; (4) Promote the exchange between scientific and technological communities and specific traditional communities/? Of practice?, through competent processes of translation and interaction between them; (5) Generate/implement effective mechanisms for the creation, organization, management and dissemination of knowledge, aiming at the installation of a learning society.
The arguments presented herein justify that RICS presents this proposal of a doctorate in the area of dissemination of knowledge, with an concentration area in modeling the generation and dissemination of knowledge and two lines of research: I. Construction of Knowledge: Cognition, languages and information and II. Dissemination of knowledge: information, communication and management. These two lines of research will seek to deepen the understanding of what has been done with and of the knowledge produced in Brazil, especially in the area of science and technology: How is it transferred to other sectors? Translated to different audiences? Transformed into different spheres? Which diffusion channels distribute this knowledge and the products of science and technology? What is the effective contribution of the knowledge produced in academia to the competitiveness of the productive sector? What is the contribution of specific knowledge to traditional communities/? Of practice?, for the construction of academic/scientific knowledge? What exchanges exist/can come to exist among these different types of community?
To answer questions with such complexity, no specific research groups are found. It is necessary the articulation of different researchers, with distinct formations and that assume the challenge of working in collaboration, initially in a multidisciplinary Way (JAPIASSU, 1976, p 73-74) and gradually come to achieve a production Interdisciplinary (JAPIASSU, 1976, p 74-75) and Multireferential (ARDOINO, 1998).
This proposal is, therefore, the assumption of this challenge, by a group of researchers who, although they already have some experience in their respective areas of activity, consider that the premence of the above questions cannot be ignored and they resolved to work In collaboration, creating RICS, which now proposes this graduate program, with the doctoral course, hoping to remain in constant interaction, to institute and consolidate the interdisciplinary areas of cognitive analysis and modelling of Knowledge.