The assessment of the scientific output of a researcher is decisive for granting approval by funding agencies. The assessment process for obtaining research fellowships from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) was the object of this study, developed through a questionnaire in which the researchers could freely comment on the current evaluation scenario and suggest modifications. The results revealed that the researchers require the application of rigor, ethics and integrity in the evaluation of research projects and that the merit of the proposals be taken into account, avoiding the mere quantification of items of the Curriculum Lattes (CV Lattes). They also valued the consideration of new aspects of cooperative research, the nucleation of new groups and the social impact of research in terms of the generation of products and processes that can solve society’s problems or cause changes in concepts.