Latin America, whatever the recent economic travails of Brazil, is well placed to strengthen its already growing contribution to the world of science (as a special supplement to this issue demonstrates). Admittedly, day-to-day circumstances remain difficult for scientists in the region. Progress sometimes seems to be faltering, with governments continually introducing new schemes to support science — and then failing to find the money to follow them through.

But the international influence of Latin American scientists is steadily expanding, and there is every indication that it will continue to do so. Certainly, the overall trajectory, measured, for want of a better yardstick, by the proportion of papers from the region published in international journals, points firmly upwards.

As scientists from the region's widely disparate countries jostle to both compete and collaborate with their better-supported peers in the United States and Europe, however, it is becoming increasingly important for them to recognize how much they can learn from the experience of their neighbours. Most would, indeed, like to work more closely with their peers in neighbouring countries. At present, though, there is little encouragement to do so.

Most of these researchers trained in the United States or in Europe, and are inevitably keen to maintain strong connections with the wealthy research institutions of the so-called developed world. It is certainly far easier to work within an international collaboration if at least one end of that collaboration is adequately funded.

There are plenty of isolated examples of scientific collaboration between the countries of the region. At present, however, there is no overall strategy to pool resources in a way that would strengthen the region's scientific base. Many officials — and some scientists — continue to believe that the only worthwhile activity in their particular area of interest lies far to the north.

But research collaboration between north and south is inevitably asymmetrical, with limits on its usefulness to the weaker party. As Latin American science grows in scope and confidence, the region's relatively small scientific communities will greatly increase their ability to compete internationally by combining forces to create the critical mass needed to produce high-quality science in their own region.

In Europe, scientific collaboration has played a significant role in boosting national scientific capabilities, particularly when faced with competition from the United States. The European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory are just two examples of what has been achieved. Latin America now faces a similar challenge.

A number of proposals under consideration, such as the Ibero-American Molecular Biology Organization's plans for a centre of excellence and the World Bank's Millennium Institutes, could catalyse a regional response. President Eduardo Frei of Chile has tried — apparently with little success — to place research collaboration on the agenda at summits of the region's leaders. If they want to build competitive economies, the region's main powers — Brazil, Argentina and Mexico — must address the need for pan-regional collaboration.