More than three thousand scholarship holders affected by the pandemic will be able to request an extension of scholarships to complete doctorates

The measure will favor researchers who are beneficiaries of Becas Chile and Becas Nacionales and implies economic resources of up to 30,000 million pesos to pay for studies for a period longer than the original and maintenance for the duration of the extension.

As a way to avoid the increase in infections and deaths, especially at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, restrictive measures were taken for people around the world.

These measures also affected the researchers who during this period were doing their doctorate at national and foreign universities and who were unable to attend them in person, could not carry out their field studies or with people, could not access to carry out experiments because the laboratories/animal centers were closed, or because they did not have access to their facilities for the use of offices and/or libraries, museums, archive rooms, rehearsal rooms, etc.

After collaborative work between organizations of researchers, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation and the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), a solution was achieved for the more than three thousand researchers from Becas Chile and National Scholarships whose work was interrupted due to the pandemic.

The decrees that allow the extension of these scholarships up to six months have already been signed by the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, and today they are in their last stage of processing.

“As a minister and as a ministry, we are deeply committed to researchers because we know that they are the fundamental pillar in the generation of knowledge and that together we will move towards a development model that allows us to have a better country for everyone. We know that there are still many pending cases, so through collaborative work between the Ministry of Science and ANID we have been able, without targeting, or arbitrary selection or any discrimination, to have the necessary resources,” said the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Silvia Diaz.

Undersecretary Carolina Gainza stressed that “one of the most important strategic objectives of this Ministry is to strengthen Chilean research in various areas of knowledge, which necessarily implies caring for researchers in training. We cannot abandon them and it is our duty to ensure that their research constitutes a contribution to the well-being of people”, she insisted.

For the National Director (S) of ANID, Alejandra Pizarro, “andhe work carried out together with interns has made it possible to deliver a solution to the problems arising from the pandemic” that will benefit 3,106 interns that in the midst of the global health situation, their study plans could be affected in recent years. “This call provides the possibility of extending scholarships for a maximum period of 6 additional months, which will mean providing support of more than $30 billion between 2022 and 2025 so that they can complete their interrupted research and postgraduate programs” , he added.

The Seremi de Ciencia Macrozona Centro Sur, Sofía Valenzuela valued the extension of scholarships. “This is good news for the region, where we have doctoral students who have been affected by the pandemic, both in their thesis work and those who are in their first years, and it will allow those who decide to carry out their studies in the regions to continue for 6 more months with the benefits provided by this scholarship system,” he said.

Application and requirements

The agreements signed by scholarship holders to carry out their doctorates have a start and end date. What the transitory norms will do is modify the criteria that regulate these scholarships and modify the end date and extend it up to a maximum of six months.

Once the resolution is published, ANID will make a call to receive extension requests from doctoral scholarship holders who have been affected.

To access this benefit, the beneficiaries ofThey must meet two main requirements: be a beneficiary of a Becas Chile or Becas Nacional doctoral scholarship “that has ended or ends between July 1 and December 31, 2024 and that their scholarship has been valid for all or part of the period pandemic by COVID-19, declared by the competent authority of the destination country (in the case of Becas Chile) and has been in force during all or part of the health alert period decreed by the health authority due to the occurrence of the COVID pandemic -19 yo due to confinement measures (National Scholarships).

In addition, they must have the written support of the director of the doctoral program or the professor or guide professor or tutor of the Doctoral Thesis in which the need for extension is clearly indicated.