NEW YORK, October 1, 2014—The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced today that more than 400 companies across the United States hosted internships this summer for Brazilian students as part of the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. This prestigious scholarship program, administered by IIE in the United States, is funded by the government of Brazil to strengthen science and technology skills and foster innovation and international cooperation in the country’s future workforce. The companies provided students with practical experience in their fields while also building and strengthening relationships with universities, their own overseas operations, and future innovators in Brazil.
Under the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program, these students were studying at one of more than 400 colleges and universities across the United States for one year prior to returning to Brazil to complete their degrees. This fall, 10,000 additional Brazilian university students began their U.S. studies through the Brazilian government’s scholarship program, and will pursue summer internships in 2015.
Many U.S. companies hosted five or more interns each, including AbbVie, Amgen, Inc., The Boeing Company, Cargill, Inc., DuPont, Embraer S.A., General Electric, Merck & Co., Inc., Petrobras America, Pfizer Inc., Praxair, Inc., Rama Business Group, and Reed Elsevier. A number of non-profit organizations also hosted interns, including the Cleveland Clinic, Intelligentsia International, the Nature Conservancy, and the New York Botanical Garden.
Additional host companies are listed in the corporate partner section of IIE’s Brazil Scientific Mobility Program website. On this page, companies can also learn how to host Brazilian interns at their own U.S. sites. IIE’s support in hosting these interns is free to internship providers—the Brazilian government covers the matching process and visa sponsorship cost and provides stipends to students throughout the summer.
Students participated in a wide variety of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) projects, including:
- Designed a mathematical model that optimizes the layout for wind turbines in a wind farm
- Researched the capacity of aquatic plants to absorb pollutants from water
- Analyzed new purposes for materials using finite elements as well as experimental mechanics
- Made molecules with the correct set of chemical and biological properties to move forward as therapeutic drugs
- Worked with a police department’s forensic crime scene unit
Last year, IIE awarded its Opening Minds Corporate Leadership Award to Praxair, Inc. in recognition of its leading role both on the Brazil – U.S. Business Council and as one of the founding corporate partners of the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program. IIE presented the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, with the Henry Kaufman Prize in honor of her vision to establish the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program, known in Brazil as Ciência sem Fronteiras, and for her efforts promoting international education as a key driver of progress in her country.
At a ceremony this June at the Palácio do Planalto in Brasilia, President Rousseff noted that Ciência sem Fronteiras has granted 83,200 scholarships abroad thus far, and highlighted that with the anticipated awards to students this coming September, the government will reach the goal of 101,000 scholarships. By comparison, the president said that before the creation of the program, there were only 5,000 scholars outside Brazil. IIE president Allan E. Goodman traveled to Brazil to attend the ceremony and meet with the Brazilian Government about the program, which IIE administers in the United States. IIE works closely with CAPES, a Brazilian federal agency, to administer the scholarship for the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program students at U.S. colleges and universities.
“U.S. and multinational companies have played a strong role in the success of the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program,” Dr. Goodman commented. “The companies that have hosted interns have built lasting relationships with the future generation of Brazil’s workforce. They provide excellent practical experience to the students while benefiting from the perspective the interns bring to their work.”
“The goal of the Ciência sem Fronteiras program is to encourage students of great potential to pursue careers in these areas and to develop national and international leaders in areas of global concern. By providing internships for these students, U.S. employers will enable the Brazilian government to create greater opportunities for more young and talented students, and will help strengthen commercial ties between our two countries,” said Luiz Loureiro, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Brazil.
The Brazil Scientific Mobility undergraduate scholarships program is part of a Brazilian public-private partnership to grant 125,000 scholarships to the best students in the country to study at the world’s most respected universities. The program is sponsored by the scholarship foundations of Brazil’s Ministry of Education, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).
About the Institute of International Education
IIE is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.
Contacts
Public Affairs