Scientific heritage in Brazil

•A preliminary overview of Brazil’s heritage of scientific instruments and its state of preservation is presented.•A significant number of artefacts have been identified, amounting to 25,000 thus far.•Most of the artefacts were produced in the second half of the twentieth century.•Brazil has no preservation policy for these kinds of collections. This work presents an overview of Brazil’s scientific heritage, especially the collections and sets of artefacts related to the exact sciences and engineering. The information provided is the outcome of a survey being undertaken on a national level under the coordination of Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences, or MAST), which is leading teams from five Brazilian universities. Sets of objects have been identified at museums, universities, military establishments, and some secondary schools. The best preserved collections are at a few museums, but the universities hold most of the artefacts. The overwhelming majority of the objects were made in the twentieth century, primarily the second half. After the general results of the survey are presented, details about a few sets of objects and collections are given, including information about their current state, the provenance of the objects and the history of the institutions. The objective of this initiative is to raise the awareness of the Brazilian state so that a policy is created for preserving this heritage and financing mechanisms to assure it can be researched, conserved, and ultimately fulfil its mission in society.