Time magazine reports that a major government program in Brazil is aiming to award 75,000 scholarships to attend the world’s top universities in a program called “Science Without Borders.” The scholarships will be available only to Brazilians studying subjects of “strategic national importance, like engineering.”

The article notes that Brazil had fewer than 9,000 students in U.S. universities during the 2009-10 school year. By contrast, China had 127,000, and India had 100,000. Latin America pales in comparison to Asia in terms of research and development. Asia claims one-third of the world’s development while Latin America has about three percent. Brazil’s Science and Technology Minister calls this "an effort by the government to take a quantum leap in the formation of a scientific and technological elite."

President Barack Obama visited Brazil last spring. He and Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, made plans to work more closely in regards to education, especially with the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. According to the article, “U.S. colleges and universities as a result are set to enroll half of the Science Without Borders' grant winners, who will pursue studies in engineering, hard science, math, energy, sustainable development, the environment, biotechnology and health.”

Source: How Brazil Is Sending 75,000 Students to the World's Best Colleges