The Universidad de Santiago de Chile was recently awarded the Structural Research Fund for Universities (FIU), an initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI), aimed at strengthening Research, Development and Innovation (R+D+i) capacity in higher education institutions in our country. This funding will allow Usach to develop and consolidate strategic lines of research during the next ten years.
This first call considered two lines of application: “FIU Territorial”, for universities accredited for 3 to 5 years; and “FIU Frontier” for universities with 6 to 7 years of accreditation. In this last line, 15 public and private universities applied and 8 were finally awarded in stage 1. In addition to the Universidad de Santiago, the universities of Chile, Talca, Católica de Chile, La Frontera, Concepción, Católica de Valparaíso and Católica del Norte also applied.
The proposal, presented by the Vice Rector's Office for Research, Innovation and Creation of our university, seeks to strengthen its research, development and innovation (“R+D+i”) capacity, addressing national challenges from a strategic, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspective, contributing to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the country.
The funding will be used to strengthen six priority areas: agriculture, aquaculture and sustainable food; industry and advanced mining; information technologies and artificial intelligence; energy and sustainable environment; health and biomedicine; and humanities, arts and social sciences.
These fields will be grouped into four strategic frontier R+D+i programs, designed to address national challenges and foster interdisciplinary collaboration in search of innovative solutions.
“It is important to consider and recognize the important role of the research community in this process, as the project presented by our university considered the participation of researchers from the very beginning, who contributed throughout the formulation stages with their experiences and knowledge to consolidate this successful application,” said the vice rector of Research, Innovation and Creation of the Usach, Dr. Alberto Monsalve.
“The awarding of this fund, for the first stage of the project, providing resources for $100 million, will allow the Usach to advance in projects aimed at solving complex problems in areas such as energy transition, environmental sustainability, digitalization and public health. These initiatives seek to generate applied knowledge, technology transfer and improvements in the quality of life of the population,” added the vice-rector.
Action plan and governance
The project is aligned with the university's Institutional Strategic Plan (PEI) 2020-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. “Within this framework, the project's action plan includes formulating a second stage involving the creation of new infrastructure, acquisition of advanced equipment and strengthening of management capacities. The second stage also includes training new human capital through graduate programs and the expansion of collaboration networks with national and international actors,” explained Dr. Monsalve.
For its implementation, governance that will include a Strategic Committee, led by the highest authorities of our University and national and international advisory councils that will provide guidance on the development of the programs, will be established.
“With this achievement, Usach reinforces its role in the scientific and technological development of the country, strengthening its contribution in strategic areas of global impact”, concluded Dr. Monsalve.