The Base Financing Program for Science and Technology Centers of Excellence raises to increase high level scientific and technological capital in the country. Thus, research, formation of human resources and technology transfer undertaken by the selected centers, decisively contribute to increase the competitiveness of the economy and the country's social development.
The program offers resources for the basic operation of these centers for a period of 5 years, renewable once for up to another 5 years, to create the conditions to form high-level scientists, which will allow Chile to be in the frontier of knowledge in specific areas.
To the event also attended the Rector of University of Chile, Víctor Pérez, the Dean of FCFM, Francisco Brieva, the President of CONICYT, Vivian Heyl, the Minister for Education, Yasna Provoste, all the directors of the awarded Centers, among other personalities linked to the world of science, technology and innovation.
At last!
This was the exclamation pointed out by President Bachelet when she began her speech, expressing the satisfaction for the achievement of one of the government policies aimed at innovation and competitiveness. “This initiative is in line with promoting scientific and technological development, because we need to invest in innovation and knowledge. That is why the Chilean challenge is to continue making progress in the development of basic and applied science, because all these decisions show Chile as a serious and disciplined country, which is moving above the noise of small quarrels, which sometimes loses sight, unfortunately, of the collective interest, “said the Head of State.
About the delivery of these resources, the President added: “in its first year of implementation, the State will contribute an amount close to 9 billion pesos to support edge research, and to allow the consolidation and the expansion of scientific and technological expertise that will give an impetus to the formation of new generations of researchers, for better and more productive relations with the recipients and users of the new knowledge brought by the centers, and also, by extension, greater competitiveness of our businesses and the overall economy. “
In the same topic the President of CONICYT, Vivian Heyl, described this initiative as a historic event and decisive for Science and Technology in Chile because “this instrument enables the Science and Technology Centers of Excellence with funding that ensures their basic and applied research of high-level for national and international conducting, is a direct approach of increasing the competitiveness of our economy and thereby improving the quality of life of Chileans, because this instrument supports research in higher scale, with greater funding for a longer period and with a closer alignment with the requirements of our production system, “she said.
The Director of the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), Jaime San Martín, welcomed the decision to invest in research and innovation, and instead raised the challenges ahead. “This delicate balance between the development of edge science, measured with international parameters, and the needs of a developing country, outline one of the most important dilemmas we face,” he said.
The researcher added that “the financing will allow all centers to grow and develop adventures that would otherwise be very difficult to carry out.”
The Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), sponsored by University of Chile, will aim to strengthen the work of the CMM and consolidate its position as a center of excellence in research and advanced training in applied mathematics, which is recognized internationally as a platform for the mathematical modeling industry with a high impact on the process and product innovation.
The other 6 centers benefit are: Centro de Investigación Oceanográfica en el Pacífico Sur-Oriental (COPAS)”, sponsored by Universidad de Concepción; “Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECS)”; “Corporación Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB)”; “Fundación Ciencia para la Vida”; “Unidad de Desarrollo Tecnológico” sponsored by Universidad de Concepción y, “Centro de Envejecimiento y Regeneración”, patrocinado por la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
