The Behring Foundation, a Brazilian-based family organization focused on empowering talented youth and promoting social development, has established a scholarship to support students from Brazil pursuing tech-related undergraduate degrees at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Behring Scholarship provides funding for two students per year with permanent residential addresses in Brazil who are enrolled in CMU's School of Computer Science (SCS) or the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department in the College of Engineering. The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance for the duration of their undergraduate education, including tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies and more.

"From the start of the Behring Foundation, we wanted to educate talented Brazilians in technology and expose them to the best opportunities possible in the field," said Lucas Giannini, executive director of the Behring Foundation. "When establishing our scholarships and fellowships, we were looking for world-class academic opportunities — leading institutions in computer science and artificial intelligence — where we could do so. Carnegie Mellon clearly stood out."

The foundation's gift is the first of its kind at CMU, helping to fill a financial aid gap for international undergraduates who may not have as much access to funding opportunities as domestic students. In addition to financial support, CMU's Behring Scholars will benefit from access to networking opportunities and meetings, including an annual summit of students supported by the foundation at other universities like Harvard and MIT.

ECE students Rafael Sampaio Doria Fox and Lucca Rodrigues received the inaugural funding this past fall, and the foundation's continued support will fund two more students in the 2024-2025 academic year.

"Being a Behring Fellow at CMU is nothing short of making a dream come true," said Rodrigues, who hopes to pursue a career in software engineering or hardware/silicon engineering after graduation. "Studying engineering at a top university has been a lifelong goal, and the financial support of the Behring Foundation has made getting a world-class education not just possible, but affordable. Thanks to them, attending my dream school and pursuing engineering and computer science at the highest level is now a reality."

"The opportunities and support I receive from the ECE Department at CMU is completely unparalleled, and I couldn't be more excited about the things I am working on here," said Fox, who hopes to develop simple, low-cost versions of important medical devices to bring medical technology to areas without them. "I am abundantly grateful to the Behring Foundation for providing me with the opportunity to develop myself and my career and to get closer to my goals.

"These are exceptional students, and they've endured a lot and worked hard to make their education possible. Carnegie Mellon is not a household name in Brazil. So the students that are here are truly looking for what's best," Giannini said. "We want to support the best technologists and feel that putting them in a unique, thriving community that surrounds and immerses them in technology is the best way to do that. That's what we've found here at Carnegie Mellon."

For more on the Behring Foundation, visit the organization's website.