From 2015, 100,000 more scholarships will be available for a year of undergraduate study in STEM fields at top universities around the world.

Speaking at the Palácio do Planalto in Brasilia last month, Rousseff reaffirmed the programme’s mission to promote scientific study to Brazilian students.

“This is a program designed to ensure Brazil is able to be innovative, and to generate interest in the sciences and the application of technology in all areas”

“This is a program designed to ensure Brazil is able to be innovative, and to generate interest in the sciences and the application of technology in all areas including industry and agriculture and especially to facilitate research in basic sciences,” she said.

The programme also offers students internship opportunities during their year of study and before returning to Brazil to complete their degrees.

The second phase of the programme will focus on 18 priority subjects: engineering and other technology subjects; biology, biomedical and health sciences; and the creative industry.

Institutions in 43 countries including Russia, South Korea and China have benefitted from the initiative which was launched with an initial tranche of 100,000 scholarships in 2011.

The United States has received the most students through the programme (26,300), however followed by the UK (9,500) Canada (7,000) France (6,400) and Germany (5,900).

Rousseff reminded the delegates at the ceremony that before the initiative, there were only 5,000 scholars studying outside of Brazil.

She also confirmed that the original initiative is well on its way to reaching the goal of awarding 100,000 scholarships within three years.

“We have already granted 83,200 scholarships and will reach the goal of 101,000 by September this year”

“We have already granted 83,200 scholarships and will reach the goal of 101,000 by September this year,” she said.

“Therefore, we designed this new phase by offering scholarships to all Brazilian students who can qualify after a language proficiency process.”

Students must also obtain a minimum score of 600 on the national high school exam, Enem, in order to qualify.

Funding is provided by Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education of Brazil (CAPES) and the National Council for Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) and also the private sector.

In addition to tuition, busaries cover international airfare, a monthly stipend (housing and living costs), health insurance.