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- The center presented its strategic lines and high-impact initiatives, while the state institution introduced various funding instruments for scientific research.
The Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) at the University of Chile held a strategic meeting with the Innovation Management of the Chilean Economic Development Agency (Corfo), alongside representatives from the Chilean Technology Board, which brings together technology business associations such as ACTI, ChileTec, and AIE.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, October 9, at the CMM, featured presentations of the center’s six lines of applied research, as well as its initiatives, the R&D Law, and the open calls from InnovaChile. Additionally, officials were introduced to the work and facilities of the Education Laboratory (CMM-Edu), the Copernicus Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CopernicusLAC), and the National High-Performance Computing Laboratory (NLHPC).
Cooperation Between Academia and Industry
Héctor Ramírez, Director of the CMM, highlighted the importance of such meetings “to expand our impact on society and consolidate strategic partnerships between academia and industry. For this, Corfo’s support is crucial. One of the objectives of our technology transfer and innovation office is to strengthen these collaborative spaces, showcasing our research lines, technology transfer, and projects.”
“Moreover, Corfo aims to promote research within companies, which perfectly aligns with our objectives as a center. A key part of CMM’s mission is to conduct research that impacts the productive sector, public policies, and, broadly speaking, any areas that contribute to the development of our country. In this regard, we are fully aligned with Corfo’s instruments and programs,” added the professor.
Jocelyn Olivari, Innovation Manager at Corfo and Executive Director of the InnovaChile Committee, emphasized, “We are interested in connecting academia with the business world, understanding that innovation is inherently collaborative. We want them to engage in dialogue and identify opportunities within the framework of the projects we fund.”
Innovation Funding
During the event, Corfo presented the R&D Law and the open calls from InnovaChile, highlighting funding opportunities for projects involving applied research.
“At Corfo’s Innovation Management, we fund R&D and innovation projects led by companies, many of which can collaborate with academic centers like the CMM. We just launched the new call calendar. For example, the ‘Create and Validate’ program offers different subsidies: 220 million pesos if it is a collaborative effort, and 180 million pesos for individual projects. We also have the ‘High Technology Innovation’ program, which provides up to one billion pesos for research and development-intensive projects. These different subsidies aim to encourage innovation, strengthen capacities, and incorporate specialized human capital,” Olivari explained.
In that vein, she emphasized, “This is highly relevant for some postdocs at the Center for Mathematical Modeling. We need to incorporate more PhDs into companies. Currently, the percentage is very low—only 7% in Chile versus 40% in the United States. So, the challenge is significant, and we address it together—government, academia, and businesses.”
Regarding the CMM presentations, Olivari said, “I was particularly impressed by the predictive and optimization models, especially the project on predicting attendance at medical appointments. This could increase the efficiency of the public system and avoid resource wastage. The work in data science is also critically important, given today’s needs, as it allows us to process large amounts of data and uncover patterns.”
Renato Werth, a member of the Chilean Technology Board and Director of the Electric and Electronics Industry Association (AIE), highlighted the value of the meeting in creating networks between industry and the CMM. “For us, this is a tremendously important opportunity to establish connections that facilitate the development of new technologies, with the goal of positioning Chile as a regional leader in this field,” he commented.
This event represents an important step toward integrating science and industry in Chile, aiming to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in strategic areas such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation.
Center for Mathematical Modeling
The CMM is today the most active scientific research institution in mathematical modeling in Latin America. It is a center of excellence of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) of Chile, integrated by eight partner universities and located at the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile. It is also the International Research Laboratory (IRL) #2807 of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
Its mission is to create mathematics in response to problems in other sciences, industry and public policy. It seeks to develop science with the highest standards, excellence and rigor in areas such as data science, climate and biodiversity, education, resource management, mining and digital health.
Alonso Farías Ponce, journalist of the Center for Mathematical Modeling.
Posted on Oct 21, 2024 in News
