Brazil’s National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) has authorised the state-controlled energy company Petrobras to invest $320.9 million reais (US$188.8m) in 5,000 scholarships under the Science Without Borders programme.
Between 2012 and 2017, Petrobras plans to award 2,754 undergraduate scholarships, 1,901 scholarships for doctoral students enabling 12 months of study abroad and 345 awards for four-year doctoral programmes overseas.
The aim of the scholarship investment is to increase the numbers of skilled workers in the light of oil field discoveries in the deep Atlantic ocean and the start of production on company’s pre-salt fields.
Science Without Borders was launched last December to support students pursuing degrees abroad. President Dilma Rousseff has signed agreements with universities in France, UK and the US to provide support for the 100,000 students expected to be taking part in the programme by 2014.
On 6 March a cooperation agreement was signed with the Swedish-Brazilian Centre for Research and Innovation for up to 100 postdoctoral and doctoral student exchanges.