Brazil plans to provide large-scale government support for research on human embryonic stem cells starting in August.

According to the Brazilian media, the Ministries of Science & Technology and Health are currently screening 104 research plans submitted by research institutes and are expected to prioritize them no later than August 4th.

A total of 3.5 million dollars in research funds would be allocated according to the prioritization.

Such state sponsorship was made possible with the passage of the Bio-Security Law in March, which legalized embryonic stem cell research in Brazil.

The law sets prohibitive limits on using embryo for commercial purposes, genetic manipulation or human cloning, while calling for using embryos donated under parents’ consent and those frozen for over three years.