The Brazilian federal agency for higher education funding announced recently the formation of the “More Science, More Development” (MSMD) program to replace the previous “Science Without Borders” initiative. The MSMD program will generate structural changes to the way academic institutions receive and allocate funding by giving universities more autonomy. Previously, government funds for higher education were allocated to specific people or individual departments, but with the onset of MSMD, universities will have more control over where the funding goes. The new program is expected to stimulate greater collaborations with foreign researchers and research institutions, as well as a stronger relationship amongst Brazilian universities. MSMD requires individual academic institutions to collaborate on “internationalization” strategies with foreign partners to secure mobility funding. Universities are obliged to submit proposals by October, with funding figures for MSMD expected to be released with the publication of Brazil’s 2018 budget.

Source: The PIE News