Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas
The Brazilian Center for Physical Research ( Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas , CBPF) is a physical research center run by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology (Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia).
The CBPF is located in the Urca district in Rio de Janeiro , near the Sugar Loaf . It was founded on January 15, 1949 by César Lattes , José Leite Lopes and Jayme Tiomno . Since then, it has developed into an internationally renowned research institution that has organized numerous congresses and attracted renowned physicists such as Richard Feynman , Hans Bethe and Robert Oppenheimer as guest scientists. The CBPF has been one of the most important physics institutes in South America from the start, and the graduate courses are among the most prestigious in Brazil .
History
When it was founded, the CBPF was located on Rua Álvaro Alvim in the center of Rio de Janeiro; two years later, they moved into the building in Urca, where the institute is still located today. It was founded as a non-commercial, private organization with the aim of being financed from private donations as well as grants from the Brazilian Congress. In 1958, the CBPF was generously supported by the Ford Foundation to help rebuild the library that was destroyed by fire. In 1976 the institute became part of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Development (CNPq), which has financed it to this day.