UC Irvine Graduate Division

April 13, 2012

UCI was recently designated as a host U.S. university for Brazil’s Science without Borders Program.  The Science without Borders initiative aims to build and expand Brazil’s role as a global leader by sending over 100,000 Brazilian students and postdoctoral scholars in science and technology fields for training overseas in the next four years.  Dean Frances Leslie represented the campus at a signing ceremony on April 16th at the US Chamber of Commerce, an event hosted by Brazil and featuring a number of high-profile speakers, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Dean Leslie points out that educational exchange programs are an important component to the establishment of academic excellence for the 21^st-century global workforce.  As part of the Science without Borders initiative, the United States and Brazil are also promoting and expanding academic exchange opportunities between U.S. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Brazilian universities. A Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. HBCUs and Brazil’s Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) calls for increased cooperation and exchanges between Brazilian education institutions and HBCUs in the United States.  

According to a new survey published by the U.S.-based Council of Graduate Schools Enrollments, the number of Brazilian students who intend to pursue postgraduate studies in universities in the United States soared in 2011. On average, there was a 9 percent increase in the number of students applying for a master's or doctoral degree in the United States, but for Brazilians the increase was 14 percent.

“Brazil has become a model for Latin American countries sending graduate students and postdocs for international training,” noted Dean Leslie.   “As a recognized leader in world-class research and scholarship, we are very excited to promote strong academic collaboration with Brazil.” 

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