Eight Chilean speakers were invited to the meeting about scientific French- Chilean cooperation, organized by the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (Conicyt). Three of them were members of the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), which represented almost half of the participants. This number is a clear sign of the key role played by this pioneer center for the scientific collaboration with France since more than 20 years ago.
“Traditionally CMM has kept strong ties of cooperation with France. Working with Inria made possible to finance projects beyond the center on itself. Thus, we firmly have decided its accreditation from 2016”, highlighted Marc Giacomini, Ambassador of France in Chile.
Cooperation with France is one of the oldest in our country. Over the years this landscape has changed. So, new opportunities are opened due mainly to the funds growth. Today, established collaborations with institutes such as IRD or CNRS,or the fact that more than 1.000 people are participating in a bilateral program can be seen as a proof of the success of the cooperation with France.
This meeting, which was held on last 10th November at the offices of Conicyt in Santiago, aimed to assess the programs carried out within this partnership, explained Gonzalo Arenas, director of the Programs of International Cooperation of Conicyt. “This event was a reflecting exercise with the French counterparts in order to improve the results in the future”.
Nowadays the highest cooperation arises specially with the creation of the centers of excellence. “Strengthening programs with these institutions would enhance the French collaboration. With a support from the French government or Conicyt French we can make interesting programs shine”, emphasized Rafael Correa, CMM researcher.
Alejandro Jofré, CMM director, participated in the pannel about research centers in Chile. It focused on the work carried out by centers of excellence like CMM, which was founded by researchers who started their academic career in France as doctoral students at the end of the 60s.
Mobility programs that arise within this partnership was the second topic addressed in the meeting. Thus, the role of Ecos -the oldest bilateral agreement with France and Chile- was highlighted as a bridge for the knowledge between national and international groups within a globalized world.
“From my own experience, symbiosis of approaches is an enrichment. In France, science is analyzed with originality and self-criticism. Chile, however, contributes with a faster style”, said Alejandro Maass, researcher and president of the Ecos-Conycit Committee.
