CRUCH universities invite you to discover science and its contribution to the development of Chile

02/10/2026
  • Start
  • News
  • CRUCH universities invite you to discover science and its contribution to the development of Chile
Share

With fairs, workshops, exhibitions and meetings, the institutions of the Council of Rectors and Rectors will join the National Day of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, bringing their research closer to the public.

Rector Juan Yuz (USM) and the president of the CRUCH Research Commission, María José Gallardo (UDA), highlight the scientific capabilities of universities and the need for sustained funding to respond to the challenges of the country.

This Sunday, October 4th, is National Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Day, an open house event in which various institutions and organizations participate and whose purpose is to bring science and technology closer to people.

The universities of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) will join this initiative, starting this weekend and continuing in the following days, with fairs, workshops, exhibitions and meetings that will invite the public to learn about their research and the questions that drive it.

The commemoration also invites reflection on the contribution of research to the well-being of people and the development of the country.

For the Juan Yuz, rector of the Federico Santa María Technical University (USM) and head of the CRUCH Research Commission, “A country’s ability to improve the lives of its inhabitants also depends on the knowledge it is able to generate.” He adds that “research allows us to understand problems, anticipate risks, and develop solutions relevant to our reality, and also to generate value, whether economic or social. This is a fundamental capacity for improving health, strengthening education, increasing productivity, and addressing environmental challenges.”.

However, resources allocated to research and development remain a concern. In 2023, Chile invested only 0.41% of its GDP, according to the Survey on R&D Expenditure and Personnel by the National Institute of Statistics and the Ministry of Science.

This figure shows that “there is still a significant gap between our development aspirations and the resources committed to achieving them. We need sustained investment, with a perspective that transcends government terms and engages both the public and private sectors.” In this regard, “if we want Chile to move toward an economy that generates greater value and offers better opportunities, we must strengthen its capacity to create knowledge. This is a strategic decision about the kind of country we want to build,” Yuz emphasizes.

This reflection takes on particular relevance in the lead-up to the discussion of the 2027 Budget Bill. “At CRUCH, we expect a clear signal that sustaining and strengthening research is a priority for Chile’s development. This signal must be expressed in resources that allow for the continuity of scientific work and advance its long-term structural funding, enabling us to maintain human resources, preserve infrastructure, and incorporate new generations of researchers,” says Rector Yuz.

Scientific capabilities of CRUCH universities

The commemoration of this day offers an opportunity to learn about the results of the research, but also about the people who make it possible and the processes behind each discovery.

The María José Gallardo, president of the CRUCH Research Commission and vice-rector of Research at the University of Atacama, She notes that “I would like the public to learn more about those behind the research and understand that science is a collective and long-term endeavor.” She explains that “our universities involve communities of academics, researchers, students, and professionals who generate knowledge, train new generations, and collaborate to address increasingly complex problems.”.

Gallardo emphasizes that the CRUCH universities form a fundamental part of the national scientific ecosystem. “From different regions of the country, including the Metropolitan Region, we conduct research in strategic areas such as climate change, water, biodiversity, health, mining, education, and productive transformation. This diversity of capabilities allows us to address complex challenges from different disciplines and, increasingly, in a collaborative manner. Our challenge is not only to generate excellent knowledge, but also to ensure that this knowledge engages with the country's needs and contributes to its decisions and transformations.”.

One example, Yuz explains, is the disaster risk research being conducted by several universities at CIGIDEN R+ (Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management, Resilience, and Recovery), which brings together different disciplines to study hazards, vulnerabilities, and recovery processes. In Greater Valparaíso, the Federico Santa María Technical University is leading an initiative to assess the risk of socio-natural disasters, with funding from the Regional Government and support from that center, contributing knowledge to territorial planning and the protection of people.

From that perspective, the invitation from universities to discover science allows us to learn about work that is carried out throughout the year and whose results contribute to public decisions, the well-being of communities and the development possibilities of Chile.

Research and talent for the development of the country

The figures also reflect the contribution of CRUCH universities to national scientific capacity: in 2025, the Council's institutions generated 77% of the national scientific production and trained more than 90% of the country's new PhDs, while more than half of those publications came from regional universities.

Gallardo points out that “this demonstrates that Chile has excellent scientific capabilities distributed throughout its territories” and that the main challenge is “to move towards a more articulated and collaborative scientific system, capable of sustaining long-term capabilities and putting knowledge at the service of Chile’s great challenges.”.

For his part, Rector Yuz states that “Chile has talent and universities capable of contributing to a new stage of development. It is our responsibility to nurture these capabilities and give them room to grow. From the universities, we will continue to contribute knowledge, educate people, and build collaborations so that this potential continues to translate into better opportunities and concrete benefits for the country.”.

Encounter with science

The activities of this commemoration invite you to learn about work that is carried out throughout the year and whose results contribute to public decisions, the well-being of communities and the development possibilities of Chile.

Check out below some of the activities organized by the CRUCH universities for this commemoration.

 

Text: CRUCH Communications

Cover photo: Courtesy of PUCV

Cover design: Danae Solervcicens