Investigation Commission
After two days of meetings, 45 early-career researchers from both countries discussed potential joint initiatives. These included publications, short-term research stays, academic and student mobility, and COIL (Collaborative International Relations).
“We know that the future of the planet depends on universities that research sustainability, because industry does not give it the same consideration,” said Caroline Daly, Dean of the University of Auckland, who led the New Zealand delegation along with academics from Wellington University and Massey University.
Promoting collaboration between early-career researchers from institutions of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and New Zealand was the objective of the two-day meeting organized by Education New Zealand (Education NZ), in conjunction with the Council's Research Commission.
The event, held on October 10 and 11 in Santiago, brought together 29 researchers from CRUCH universities and 16 from New Zealand, who had the opportunity to discuss their research projects in the field of sustainable development with their peers. A total of 116 meetings were scheduled. “speed networking meetings”, a methodology of short meetings that allowed us to learn about the research projects and explore possibilities for collaboration.
Javiera Visedo, Director of Outreach for Latin America at Education New Zealand, stated that “we are happy to have worked with CRUCH and the Research Commission to carry out this meeting which allowed researchers from diverse disciplines to connect and discuss possibilities for working together.”.
According to Visedo, “we saw very good results over these two days, as many of the researchers are already exploring opportunities for COIL (Collaborative International Online Learning), publications, short research stays, and academic and student mobility. This was exactly what we were aiming for, and we are pleased with this success. We hope to repeat this activity in the near future, hopefully in Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand).”.
For his part, the president of the Council's Research Commission, Pedro Bouchon, highlighted that “the methodology behind this joint initiative has proven extremely attractive. The 116 meetings scheduled over the two days demonstrate the intensity of the work, focus, and interest.”.
Bouchon stated that “as CRUCH we must seek diverse ways to connect our researchers with their counterparts in other countries, especially those in the early stages of their careers, to develop a more diverse and global science. Therefore, I welcome this synergy that has been generated between Educational New Zealand and CRUCH.”.
The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of New Zealand, Daniela Rigoli, and the Secretary General of CRUCH, Angélica Bosch, who praised this initiative, which is part of the agreement between Education New Zealand and the Council, signed in 2022.
Sustainable development: a common challenge
Regarding the focus of the meeting, Javiera Visedo explained that “sustainable development is the great challenge we face right now. Furthermore, Chile and New Zealand are working extensively in this area and already participate in various international forums. On the other hand, it allows us to bring together and collaborate with other fields beyond STEM, since the humanities and social sciences are also part of this broader theme.”.
Pedro Bouchon, Vice-Rector of Research at the Catholic University, hopes that “through dialogue between colleagues working 10,000 kilometers apart, collaborations will emerge that will last over time and broaden our lines of research and perspectives.” He added that “there is fertile and diverse ground from which, hopefully in the near future, this will translate into joint publications and applications for funding.”.
Javiera Visedo highlighted that the initiative arose in April of this year, during the visit to Chile of a delegation of academic vice-rectors and research directors from universities in New Zealand, organized by Universities New Zealand, Education New Zealand, the New Zealand Embassy and CAPE Latam (Latin American Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence).
“Among the conversations and meetings held on that occasion, we identified that in order to have lasting, long-term academic relationships, it was essential to foster early connections between researchers. To do this, we needed to create a space for connection. This is something we had never done formally, and that is why, under the leadership of Dr. Caroline Daley, Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Auckland, and with funding from CAPE Latam, this meeting was made possible,” Visedo points out.
Shared future
The New Zealand delegation was led by Caroline Daley, Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Auckland; Neil Dodgson, Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Research at the University of Wellington (in Victoria); and Leonel Alvarado, Regional Director of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey University (in Wellington).
Daley noted that the reasons for choosing Chile stem from its similarities with New Zealand. “We are Pacific neighbors, we are on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and our countries have a lot in common. We share concerns about our natural environment, such as long coastlines, but also on issues like gender equality (…) and how we look to the future in areas like artificial intelligence (…)”.
Regarding the focus of the meeting, Daley stated that “we know the future of the planet depends on universities researching sustainability, because industry doesn't give it the same consideration.” He pointed out that the University of Auckland is very well ranked in the rankings international rankings (Times Higher Education and QS) in terms of commitment to sustainability. “We are studying sustainability from the perspective of teaching, research, and institutional functioning,” he commented.
Leonel Alvarado stated that sustainability is an area of great importance in most New Zealand universities, not only from a scientific perspective.
“For example, we have courses where students discuss climate change through theater or literature. So, we are interested in interdisciplinary convergences, and that is reflected in the researchers we have invited to meet here with Chilean researchers.”.
Neil Dodgson said that sustainability was prioritized because “the future of our lives as human beings on this planet depends on us solving these very difficult problems. In this respect, New Zealand and Chile have similar problems regarding how to use their vast natural resources sustainably rather than exploiting them.”.
Therefore, he noted that "I am delighted to bring together these young researchers at the beginning of their careers to work together and think about how we can make the world a better place for everyone.".
From left to right: Leonel Alvarado, Javiera Visedo, Caroline Daley, Angélica Bosch and Neil Dodgson.
Text: CRUCH Communications
Photographs: Courtesy of Education NZ
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