Seminar organized by the Committee on Technology and Innovation Challenges of the Senate and the Network of Non-State Public Universities, featured a presentation by UCSC academic Dr. Ricardo Lizana.
In a hybrid mode, from the Former National Congress building in Santiago, the seminar “Science and Future: Experiences of the G9 Network” was held, organized by the Commission for Challenges of the Future, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Senate and the Network of Public Universities non-State G9. I find that it is also broadcast online on the YouTube channels of the Network Universities.
The objective of this meeting was to communicate a diversity of outstanding projects of the G9 Universities, evidencing the public role of the network, and the contributions of the institutions that make up the group in the field of science, development, technology and innovation, always in binding work. with the territories and for the benefit of the development of the country. And, in this way, continue articulating this task with the national public policy in these matters.
The activity had the participation of authorities, parliamentarians and representatives of the G9 Universities, in addition to initiatives such as the Millennium Institute for Volcanic Risk Research – CKELAR Volcanoes, of the Universidad Católica del Norte, the Vaccine Development Project and GMP laboratory, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and KimGen Data: Scenarios for Emergency Management, from the Catholic University of Temuco, with the theme Regional Research Centers.
In the first panel, they presented the president of the Commission for Future Challenges, Senator Francisco Chahuán; the rector of the U. de Concepción, Carlos Saavedra; and Carolina Gainza, Minister(s) and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, who pointed out that “we have to understand that the strengthening of research is not a Government policy but a State policy. Our Government has promised to move towards 1% of GDP and for that we need to work collaboratively.
On behalf of the UCSC, in the panel “How to innovate from regions”, the academic Dr. Ricardo Lizana intervened with the “Construction of a Green Hydrogen Plant for industrial applications in the Biobío Region”, through the experience of Casa of studies. At the appointment he was accompanied by the Rector Dr. Cristhian Mellado, and the Vice Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Antonio Brante (in the picture).
“We are developing the training of human capital, because it is key to sustaining this national green hydrogen strategy and giving it sustenance. The Electrical Civil Engineering career begins to integrate it into its curriculum, with the use of laboratories and practice, and see how they operate. We also have a Master’s in energy systems and now a PhD is opening, which uses these systems. Added to this are agreements and alternation with technical high schools, which have allowed Mulchén schoolchildren to be certified with theoretical modules and practical visits to the University,” said Lizana.
Collaborative work
On the occasion, the senator and president of the Challenges of the Future commission, Francisco Chahuán, pointed out that the Ues of the G9 represent an unavoidable opportunity to improve the conditions that in this true epochal change can offer the country better prospects. “We are aware that prospecting for a better future for Chile depends on each one of us, and the G9 universities represent an essential window for that to materialize,” he added.
In relation to the contribution made by the Ues of the G9, the legislator stated that “we must be careful not to confuse the public with the state (…) I want to highlight the public nature of the G9 universities, which sometimes governments do not manage to make visible preventing the contribution of these universities in innovation, science, technology and knowledge from not having the character and scope that one would expect”, he pointed out.
The President of the G9 Network and Rector of the University of Concepción, Carlos Saavedra, pointed out that “it is key in the new process to recognize the real investment of our universities in science and technology and that it is not possible to continue financing it without considering the costs full costs that our institutions must incur (…) for this a substantive change is required”.
Along these lines, Rector Saavedra invited the Executive Branch and Congress to consider the history and tradition of our Chilean university system as a motor for scientific-technological development, generation of knowledge, and innovation. “We have to be creative, but also understand that the role of universities in this process cannot be ignored.”
