Sorcerers' apprentices or the first approaches to research. A study of the Scientific Research Summer program

Abstract

This paper discusses the relevance of participating in a short-term research mobility program conducted at Mexican higher education institutions. The “Verano de la Investigación Científica” (VIC) [Scientific Research Summer] program seeks to promote scientific activities (and eventually research vocations) among college students. This paper analyzes the degree to which the program serves as a feeder for the National System of Researchers (SNI), a pay-for-performance, peer-review system run by the Mexican government, by comparing the directories of both programs. It also presents data from a qualitative study in order to recover the experiences and voices of some current SNI members who participated in the Sumer Program from 1991 to 1995.