Backed by the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Mexican National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT) and the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID), the funding will go to citizens of the Americas with 100 scholarships earmarked for students from Central America and the Caribbean.

The Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS, Emilio Rabasa, said the programme will help the region upskill and become more economically competitive. “Engineering and innovation, which only result from properly trained human capital, play a key role in raising productivity and competitiveness, which, in turn, contribute to socio-economic development.”

The programme is designed to help the region upskill and become more economically competitive

Scholarships will be distributed over five years and will cover health services during a student’s stay in Mexico. Moving costs, the possibility of studying outside of Mexico, and partial or total tuition waivers at universities associated with the OAS are also covered.

Two reserves of 50 scholarships will go to students from Central America and the Caribbean. The remaining 500 fellowships are available to students in all OAS member states excluding Mexico.

Founded in 1948, the OAS has kept higher education central to its efforts to encourage development among its 35 member states which include Brazil, Canada, the US and Chile.

Last year it organised more than 1,000 scholarships through collaborations and professional development. Secretary General José Miguel Insulza confirmed that the Mexican fellowships are “from the numerical point of view, the highest we’ve ever received from a member state”.

In a further boon for Mexico this week, CONACYT and the British Council announced an MoU that will see both organisations increase investment in bilateral research initiatives. The UK is Mexico’s second most popular study destination after the US.