Young Latin American biomedical scientists seeking postdoctoral positions abroad face significant funding challenges. True, top graduates from developing countries can often obtain fellowships to work abroad from their countries' national research councils or equivalent organizations. But the stipends are usually lower than those offered by prestigious programmes such as the European Molecular Biology Organization, NATO or the US National Academies. And those three programmes do not accept applications from Latin American citizens.

Fortunately, a few highly selective international programmes fund Latin American citizens. Two examples are the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) and the Pew Latin American Fellows Program, both coordinated by Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel, president emeritus at Rockefeller University, New York. These not only support postdoctoral training but also help young scientists return home.

The difficult transition from postdoc to independent investigator is well known. It can be especially hard for scientists returning to developing countries , where doing research can be frustrating. In Brazil, for example, they face a long wait for reagents that often cost more than twice the price of those ordered in the United States. Just bringing in scientific equipment and reagents can be a nightmare (S. K. Rehen Nature 428, 601; 2004).

As developing countries are short of money, support from programmes such as the HFSP or Pew can make a world of difference. Pew provides funds for equipment and supplies to set up a laboratory in the country of origin. The HFSP emphasizes interdisciplinary research and focuses on young researchers' careers, offering competitive awards after they return home.

Science in Latin America has grown vigorously in the past decade. The Latin American share of the world's scientific publications increased from 1.8% in 1991–95 to 3.4% in 1999–2003 (M. Hermes-Lima et al. IUBMB Life 59, 199–210; 2007). But its visibility is low, indicating a need to increase the quality of science in general and biomedical sciences in particular. Supporting the initial phases of independent careers is crucial, not only for competitiveness but to prevent a brain drain.