Vriic

Despite public policies like the REP and Single-Use Plastics laws, plastic waste management remains a significant national challenge. According to Fundación Chile, our country consumes nearly one million tons of plastic annually, with only a meager 8.5% being recycled.

To address this challenge, the University of Santiago (Usach) has partnered with the Juan Fernández Circular R&D project. Led by CircularTec and funded by ANID, the project’s goal is to treat plastic waste from a circular economy perspective and develop useful products for the archipelago’s community.

The Vice-Rectorate for Research, Innovation and Creation (Vriic) successfully completed the series of workshops entitled “Open Access and Data: Complying with ANID and Dicyt Mandates,” developed during the first semester of 2025 by the Data, Statistics and Systems team.

A total of eleven applied research projects from the faculties of Engineering, Technology, Science, Medical Sciences, and Chemistry and Biology at the University of Santiago de Chile were awarded the Fondef IDeA I+D 2025 competition, organized by ANID. Nationwide, 129 initiatives will receive this funding.

For our institution, this result represents an 8.5% increase in awards compared to 2024, when eight proposals received funding. Institutional participation also expanded, with three to five faculties involved, while the number of applications grew from 44 to 51.

Climate change is significantly altering the quality and fertility of agricultural land, hindering its capacity to retain nutrients, capture moisture, and support vegetation. To combat this phenomenon, the use of microorganisms such as cyanobacteria offers an effective solution.

In response, Usach’s Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, specifically its Plant Biochemistry and Phytoremediation Laboratory, is developing a multifunctional biotechnological tool based on these living organisms to enhance soil adaptability and mitigate the climate crisis.

The Aquaculture Biotechnology Center (CBA) held an event to officially present the remodeled facilities of the Experimental Fish Unit (UEP) and celebrate the first anniversary of the Aqua Biotechnology Consortium.

The event was attended by the Center’s research and professional team, led by its director, Dr. Claudio Acuña. Also in attendance were Dr. Alberto Monsalve, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, and Creation at Usach; Dr. Bernardo Morales, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology; and Geraldine Mlynarz, Director of the Aqua Biotechnology Consortium.

The University of Santiago has a solid portfolio of legally protected technologies, including patents, microorganism registrations, industrial designs, and other intellectual property (IP) mechanisms.

These innovations have a direct impact on areas such as health, food, mining, clean energy, nanotechnology, and education, among others. But why is it crucial to protect research results? As part of Intellectual Property Day, celebrated on April 26, academics from Usach share their experiences and views on the importance of IP as a way to protect knowledge.

The Aquaculture Biotechnology Center (CBA) held an event to officially present the remodeled facilities of the Experimental Fish Unit (UEP) and celebrate the first anniversary of the Aqua Biotechnology Consortium.

The event was attended by the Center’s research and professional team, led by its director, Dr. Claudio Acuña. Also in attendance were Dr. Alberto Monsalve, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, and Creation at Usach; Dr. Bernardo Morales, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology; and Geraldine Mlynarz, Director of the Aqua Biotechnology Consortium.

The technology known as Iodine Autogenous Fusion (IAF), developed at the University of Santiago in Chile, has been granted a patent in Japan, adding to the patent already obtained in Chile and the patent application filed in the United States.

This innovation is led by Dr. Ricardo Vega Viveros, an academic and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering (FING), and emerged as a solution to the problems of the iodine refining process in our country, which is notorious for being discontinuous, complex, costly, and environmentally hazardous.

Mining, metallurgy and other related industries generate large volumes of wastewater every day during their productive activities. 

These liquids contain high concentrations of heavy metals and other contaminants, which can have harmful effects when they come into contact with soils, the environment, and health in communities near industrial zones.

The technology known as Iodine Autogenous Fusion (IAF), developed at the University of Santiago in Chile, has been granted a patent in Japan, adding to the patent already obtained in Chile and the patent application filed in the United States.

This innovation is led by Dr. Ricardo Vega Viveros, an academic and researcher at the Faculty of Engineering (FING), and emerged as a solution to the problems of the iodine refining process in our country, which is notorious for being discontinuous, complex, costly, and environmentally hazardous.