Since then, this field has become an area of research excellence in Costa Rica. The creation of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) in 1940, the country's first public university, created new momentum for S&T-related capacity building promoted by the government through both increased public investment and institution building. Following the 1948 Civil War and the abolition of the army in 1949, the government increased budgetary resources for science, technology and innovation (STI) infrastructure, education, and the formation of human capital. These agencies were often funded through extra-budgetary sources such as trust funds or excise taxes.