Investigación

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) excelled in early-stage research, securing 10 Fondecyt Iniciación 2026 grants. This achievement surpasses last year's results and underscores FING's dedication to innovation, technological development, and nurturing young talent in Chilean engineering.

USACH earned a total of 19 Fondecyt projects in this year's call, with more than half, 10, from the Faculty of Engineering. This highlights FING's leadership in supporting emerging researchers tackling national challenges.

Driven by high international demand, Chilean fruit growing has expanded steadily in recent decades. To maintain competitiveness, the sector has adopted intensive practices like higher planting density, aggressive pruning, and heavy fertilizer use.

Unfortunately, these practices have led to an increase in phytopathogenic fungal diseases, especially those affecting fruit tree wood. Such infections weaken the trees’ structure and significantly diminish their productivity.

When we think of galaxies, we often picture them as solitary, spinning disks of stars. However, the reality is far more intricate. Galaxies actually reside in cosmic neighborhoods called galaxy clusters, where hundreds of other galaxies are tightly bound together by gravity. These immense clusters typically feature a dominant central galaxy, which almost always hosts a supermassive black hole at its core.

Lactose, a natural carbohydrate abundant and inexpensive in mammalian milk, is a widely used sugar in the food industry. However, its high incidence of intolerance in a large part of the population limits its use. This widespread intolerance leads to global surpluses with few industrial applications and significant accumulation issues.

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 Physics Department benefited from the Medium Scientific and Technological Equipment Competition (Fondequip), thanks to the proposal entitled “Ultrasonic Research Scanner for the generation of 3D volumetric images and the measurement of three-dimensional maps of mechanical properties.”

This important milestone will enable the acquisition of the Vantage 256 NXT, the country's first volumetric ultrasonic research scanner, together with a 1024-element matrix transducer, making it a unique piece of equipment in Chile and of international standard.

The Second International Congress of Scientific Journals (November 25–27) gathered global experts to discuss the future of academic publishing ecosystems, Open Science, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Hosted by the Catholic University of Maule, the event served as a critical forum for analyzing the evolving challenges in scientific metrics and publishing policies.

Representing the University of Santiago, Chile (Usach), the Dicyt (Office for Scientific and Technological Research) editorial team played a leading role in shaping the conversation around editorial equity.

"In recent years, the educational landscape in Chile has been redefined by student diversity. This includes a broad spectrum of learners, ranging from those requiring specialized support to high capacity students with advanced abilities. To address these gaps, the system must move toward inclusive pedagogy and flexible frameworks capable of responding to unique learning processes and student backgrounds."

The construction of the world's largest radio telescope began several years ago as part of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).

Two R&D initiatives proposed by the University of Santiago, Chile, were awarded the 2025 Technology Centers for Innovation Competition, organized by ANID, in which six proposals were selected nationwide.
The call for proposals funds the creation and strengthening of technology centers for innovation, with a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, aimed at addressing challenges in the country's productive sectors. The aim is to contribute to sustainable development and strengthen the national ecosystem of science, technology, knowledge, and innovation (CTKI).