LASPAU (Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas), a nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University, signed agreements in February with the Federal Agency for Graduate Development (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific (CNPq) aimed at promoting cooperation in science and technology.

In both cases LASPAU will provide management of scholarship programs for Brazilian students who wish to undertake a PhD (starting in fall 2013) at universities in the United States, and will cooperate with the Brazilian agencies to promote other activities between the United States and Brazil in the fields of science and technology. The two agreements will cover a total of 1,500 Brazilians who will be placed in 3-year doctoral programs in the United States through LASPAU.

Founded in 1964 and dedicated to strengthening higher education in the Americas, LASPAU has a long history of cooperation with the Brazilian government, universities and the private sector. The organization currently manages academic programs for a wide selection of major institutions, including the Fulbright Program for Foreign Students of the U.S. Department of State, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the governments of several Latin American countries.