In November, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, announced a three-year, $28 billion funding package for science and technology. This spending increase would push science spending in Brazil up to 1.5% of GDP, up from current spending of approximately 1% of GDP. The new science plan focuses particularly on supporting private industry’s spending on science and includes tax breaks and grants for private firms conducting research. President Lula also pledged to limit the taxes and regulations that adversely affect the importation of scientific instruments into Brazil. Source: Nature