From Brazil to S. Korea to Learn Science

A group of 85 Brazilian college students are leaving their country to study science, engineering, and technology in South Korean universities for a year.

The students are travelling with scholarships granted by the program Science without Frontiers (Ciência sem Fronteiras, in Portuguese), a program developed by the Brazilian government that aims to improve, expand, and internationalize science, technology, and innovation in the country by promoting international mobility of students, teachers, and researchers.

Meanwhile, a group of 15 students from the Brazilian University of Unisinos is returning home from South Korea. They started the same program earlier this year, and in addition to experiencing Korean culture and education, they had the possibility of training in some of the biggest Korean technology companies, such as Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Elevators, Samsung C&T, Samsung Electronics, and Hana Micron. These internships were a unique opportunity for these students to gain real professional experiences, which can be decisive for their careers once they return to Brazil.

The Science without Frontiers program was created by the Brazilian government as a way to suppress the country’s skill shortage in the science and technology areas by promoting international exchanges and internships that allow Brazilian students to make contact with competitive educational systems in the technology areas.

The program, launched in 2011, granted more than 1,200 grants this year alone and aims to send more that 100,000 students to study abroad.

The exchange has the support of the NIIED (National Institute of International Education), a Korean organization that promotes student exchange programs with international educational institutions and grants government scholarships to invite foreign students to study in Korea through Study in Korea, a program dedicated to promote the globalization of Korean universities, as well as to inviting foreign students to study in Korea by providing overseas study information and processing admissions and visa applications for these students.

Creative Commons Love: dilmarousseffz at Flickr.com

Written by Catarina Loureiro