The University of Glasgow is investing £300,000 in fee waivers and support for Brazilian students coming to Scotland.

The money will be awarded to students coming to the UK as part of the Brazilian government’s Science without Borders initiative, which will see 75,000 science and technology scholarships made available by 2014-15 to support undergraduate and doctoral students studying overseas.

Around 10,000 of the scholarships are earmarked for UK universities and Glasgow will support the scheme by supplementing the £15,000 students will receive from the Brazilian Government.

The University will, every year, provide an additional £5,000 to 16 undergraduate study abroad students, and 16 postgraduate study abroad students, as well as offering eight scholarships of £5,000 a year for three years to full PhD students.

There will also be opportunities for up to six postdoctoral researchers to spend three months in Glasgow and the University will develop closer collaborative links between research groups in the two countries.

The scholarships, which will support tuition fees, travel and living costs, will be ready for entry from 2012 and were announced in Brazil as part of a Scottish Council for Development & Industry (SCDI) mission to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal & Vice Chancellor of the University of Glasgow said: "The Brazilian Government, through the Science without Borders initiative, is committed to expanding science, technology and innovation across Brazil.

"We are pleased to support this drive by offering a generous set of bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students to come to Glasgow to develop their research skills.

"Brazil is a developing and increasingly important market for the Higher Education sector in Scotland and we are committed to meeting the demand for high-quality learning and research opportunities from our international partners."

The Secretary of State for Scotland, Michael Moore, said:  "I strongly welcome this initiative which is good news for the students involved and good news for Glasgow University and Scotland too.

"Through the meetings I have held this week we know there are significant opportunities in science and technology in Brazil. This funding will help develop lasting links that will benefit both our economies through an educated and skilled workforce.

"By bringing the brightest and the best from around the world, Glasgow University will only enhance its good standing in the world.

"The talent and ideas that these students will bring enrich the academic work of the University, and provide a valuable inter-cultural experience for the Brazilian students themselves and those they will study with in Scotland."

The historical links between Brazil and Glasgow stretch back to 1837 when the first person from Brazil to study at University of Glasgow – Antero Jacques da Silva – matriculated and studied in the Latin class of Professor William Ramsay.

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email stuart.forsyth@glasgow.ac.uk

First published: 1 December 2011

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