When commentators depict science and research systems in Latin America, the picture is frequently bleak. Lack of funding and resources, a brain drain and high levels of bureaucracy are among the most cited challenges for higher education in the region. A key question over the past year has been whether the Covid-19 pandemic will change this landscape for the better or the worse. “It’s very paradoxical,” says Alma Maldonado, a higher education researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies at Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute. “On the one side, science has been so relevant during the pandemic…and scientists have won some recognition for their work. On the other, there are constraints with the budget, and there is not enough money to finance everything.”