The "Science without Borders" program was launched by the Brazilian government on 26 July 2011, with the objective of stimulating technological development, innovation processes and competitiveness in Brazil. This will be accomplished by means of awarding up to 75,000 scholarships for students, teachers and researchers, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, in the next four years. It is expected that thousands of additional scholarships will be funded by private enterprise. It is hoped, as well, that Brazil receives foreign students in its own educational institutions, based on reciprocal waivers of academic fees.

The areas defined as priorities for the program are as follows:

- Engineering and other technology areas;
- Exact and earth sciences: physics, chemistry, biology and geosciences;
- Biomedical and health sciences;
- Computing and information technology;
- Aerospace technology;
- Pharmaceutical drugs;
- Sustainable agricultural production;
- Oil, gas and coal;
- Renewable energy;
- Mineral technology;
- Biotechnology;
- Nanotechnology and new materials;
- Technologies for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters;
- Biodiversity and bioprospecting;
- Marine sciences;
- Creative industries;
- New forms of construction engineering, and
- Training of technologists.