Valparaiso University – Minister of Science after UV visit: “we leave a tremendous impression on the work that the university does”

In her second tour of the regions, Aisin Echeverry, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, paid an official visit to the University of Valparaiso, in particular to the Health Campus, to see the facilities, equipment, laboratories and people leading the different lines of research developed in interaction with the Faculties of Science, Engineering, Dentistry and Science Seas and natural resources.

Received by the Rector of the University of Valparaiso, Osvaldo Corrales, Head of Science Profile, accompanied by Rector Cristian Corvalan; University Vice Chancellor for Research, Soledad Torres; Research Director, Oliver Schmachtenberg; Director of Innovation and Technology Transfer, Alejandro Denmark; Dr.. Sebastien San Martín, director of the Doctoral Program in Health Sciences and Engineering and academic at the School of Medicine; Dr.. Ximena Collao, Director of the Department of Preclinical and Academic Medicine in the College of Medicine; Academics, researchers, professionals, technicians and civil servants.

Rector Corrales noted, “The visit of the new Minister of Science Aycin Echeveri was very useful. In the first place, we showed you part of the enormous effort that our university is doing in research, especially here in the Faculty of Medicine, in interaction with the Faculties of Science and Engineering, among others Others We then had a conversation about the development of public policy around research, the need for differentiated tools for the different types of institutions that are in the Chilean university system and especially the way research is promoted in state universities We also learned part of the approaches and proposals, the vision set by the Minister regarding the realization of “The goals set by the current government are to double spending on science, technology, knowledge and innovation over the next three years. We therefore have a very satisfactory assessment and propose to continue working towards the goal of strengthening the scientific and technological system in Chile.”

Osvaldo Corrales also stressed that “the new minister knows the sci-tech ecosystem of the country, she was the director of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) and from this point of view she is very clear about the problems and challenges facing today’s sci-tech system. Therefore we admired her opinion with great pleasure and we hope to develop job in the coming months, especially saving the spirit of dialogue that she had.”

Dr. Sebastian San Martín, who made the tour with the Minister, confirmed that “Within the framework of the interests of the Ministry and the Minister herself, we toured the R3 building, which combines a number of activities, both for the training of students at different levels (bachelor, postgraduate and postgraduate studies ), as well as in the field of providing services to society and developing research.The main objective was to publicize our laboratories and work teams led by researchers and researchers, together with the equipment we have available to conduct research and funds, which through ANID, we have been able to grant in recent times and which have been allowed to bring The medical school and all of our faculty are up to the level we are at.”

Dr. Ximena Collao, Director of the Pre-Clinical and Academic Department of the Faculty of Medicine stated, “The visit was very positive, in fact very interesting. The Minister was very interested in the lines of research we presented to her, in the different fields, in our case microbiology and the Ring project which We got it recently, which she’s joined the public in. She’s very interested in public health, artificial intelligence, tools that we use in our research, specifically in the integration of the simplest sciences, like virology in this case, in Euveklin’s lab, where they’re integrated as service to society, research, and teaching. .So it was a lot of fun.”

In the same vein, Minister Echeverry evaluated the visit positively: “I wanted to thank the Rector and all the executive directors and directors of Valparaiso University for the visit. We always say from the Ministry that our role is to make public policies that allow the development of science, technology, knowledge and innovation. We don’t do science, we do public policies, but those policies are built from an understanding of how they work, what the laboratories are like, what capabilities are needed and above all what is needed at the regional level.”

He added that this is our second regional visit and we are leaving with a tremendous impression of the work the university is doing. What we’ve seen today at their center, in terms of health, is really motivating and hopeful. So we leave happy and also with the commitment to be able to contribute from the ministry to the development of the university.”