Triple the number of scholarships awarded by IICA and CONACYT in 2015
San Jose, 12 November 2015 (IICA). Thanks to the partnership between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Mexico’s National Board for Science and Technology (CONACYT), 301 persons from 22 countries in the Americas have been awarded scholarships to study in Mexico.
Over the last four years, the joint cooperation program has awarded a total of 512 scholarships for places at over 50 Mexican universities, and 15 graduates have already returned to their countries to contribute to the agricultural sector.
“Our program with CONACYT harnesses Mexico’s human and institutional capital to improve the technical capabilities of the participating countries in the areas of agriculture and rural development,” explained Dr. Franklin Marin, coordinator of IICA’s Center for the Promotion of Technical Capabilities and Leadership.
Under the partnership, the Seventh Mesoamerican Fair for Quality Mexican Postgraduate Studies was held in Costa Rica and Colombia in October. Over 3000 persons visited the fair, where scholarships for 1676 graduate studies in a wide range of disciplines were on offer.
“Holding this fair has made it possible to increase IICA’s presence and reputation as an institution focused on improving the technical capabilities of Mesoamericans, and has strengthened cooperation between our institutions,” Marin explained.
The program set a new record for the number of scholarships awarded in 2015. In South America, Colombia was the country that benefited the most, with scholarships awarded to 173 of its citizens. In Central America, 13 Hondurans received scholarships, while in the Caribbean, six Haitians benefited from the scheme.
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