ABSTRACT
This article outlines the role of science in the historical process of formation of Brazil as a nation. Between 1822 and 2022, scientists made crucial contributions to the debate about the constitution of the State, national identity, citizenship, views on populations, public health and education policies, university creation projects, international circulation of knowledge, sovereignty, national development, the insertion of Brazil in the world, and coexistence between backwardness and modernity. We suggest that these central themes in 1822 and in 1922 should be amended in the agenda of the Bicentennial of Independence. This requires an analysis of the historical process in which trends enhanced by the covid-19 pandemic stand out, namely, the importance of science and the sustainability of scientific activity in responding to the crisis and other contemporary challenges;the persistence of inequalities, including those related to scientific and technological development;and the environmental issue, which is transversal and unavoidable in every area of knowledge © 2022. Estudos Avancados.All Rights Reserved.