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In a plenary session held in the Biobío Region, which was jointly led by the University of Concepción, the University of Bío-Bío and the Catholic University of the Holy Conception, the agreement was signed that seeks to create an artificial intelligence model that adequately represents Latin America, uniting academic and scientific efforts to strengthen the technological sovereignty of the region.
In a global context where advances in Artificial Intelligence are dominated by models developed in the northern hemisphere, the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) and the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) signed an agreement during the CRUCH plenary session organized jointly by the University of Concepción, University of Bío-Bío and Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, which seeks to lead the development of a Latin American artificial language model.
The proposal is to work on a project called Latam GPT, which aims to create a model that reflects the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region, using local data and ensuring that advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are appropriate for the needs and realities of Latin America.
The initiative, highlighted positively by the executive vice president of CRUCH, Emilio Rodríguez, responds to one of the six strategic axes of CRUCH to 2030: Digital Transformation of the Higher Education System and Artificial Intelligence, which aims to create proposals for the proactive incorporation of the opportunities offered by digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
“The project represents a great opportunity to transform education and scientific research in our universities, providing them with advanced computing tools, such as the Latam GPT model, to address global and regional challenges,” said Rector Rodríguez.
Regarding the importance of this alliance, CENIA Director Álvaro Soto highlighted the role of universities as a key driver of this project, “since they are the ones that generate the knowledge and data that will feed the model. This effort will not only strengthen academia, but will also allow Latin America to play a leading role in the race for artificial intelligence.”.
Furthermore, this initiative aims to transform Latin American universities from mere consumers of technology into creators of their own artificial intelligence models. "Our goal is for Latin America not only to participate passively in the technological revolution, but also to have the capacity to develop and apply it according to its own interests," Rodríguez stated.
Development and management of national supercomputing infrastructure
Closely linked to the work of CENIA, during the plenary session, researchers from the National Laboratory of High Performance Computing, Jaime San Martín and Ginés Guerrero, also presented, inviting all CRUCH universities to be part of a strategic alliance to jointly apply for the CORFO project of “Development and Management of a National Supercomputing Infrastructure Specialized in Artificial Intelligence”, which has funding of up to 7 million dollars.
Regarding this invitation to this project, which is open to all universities in the country, Rector Rodríguez highlighted its importance, noting that all institutions, from Arica to Magallanes, could access these powerful tools, ensuring inclusive participation and equitable development throughout the country.
Both San Martín and Guerrero indicated that the project is expected to allow for the design of a collaborative governance structure that ensures that the resources will benefit the entire academic and scientific community of Chile.
Development Strategy for Higher Education
Another topic addressed during the plenary session was the recently created Advisory Council for the Development Strategy for Higher Education, which will address four areas of work: educational pathways and academic processes; architecture and governance of the Higher Education System; partnerships for the development of knowledge, innovation and internationalization; and the articulation with productive environments and the revitalization of development.
The Undersecretary of Higher Education, Víctor Orellana, emphasized the importance of CRUCH's participation in the process, stating that “it is crucial that CRUCH, as the body representing the country's most important universities, actively participates in this forum. Its inclusion is essential for building robust agreements and ensuring that decisions are made jointly, taking into account the realities of higher education institutions.”
In this regard, Rector Rodríguez called for strengthening inter-institutional collaboration, especially with CRUCH commissions such as the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors (COVRA) and the Commission of Vice-Rectors of Research. “It is crucial that, from the Council of Rectors, we build bridges with other commissions like COVRA and the Research Commission, so that our universities can respond effectively to the challenges facing the education system and the country's research and development needs,” he stated.
Progress of the report on mental health and university coexistence
Indeed, one of the great challenges of the education system is mental health and coexistence, a matter in which the CRUCH has been working since the end of 2022 through its CRUCH University Coexistence and Mental Health Commission, of which progress was presented during the plenary session.
The Commission's presidents, Rosa María Olave (Alberto Hurtado University) and Bertha Escobar Alaniz (Catholic University of Temuco), along with the head of the editorial subcommittee, Valeska Grau Cárdenas (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), presented the background and key elements of the Commission's synthesis report, which outlines the main problems and critical issues related to mental health and university life. The document will be presented in the first half of 2025.
Funding for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Research
Also participating in the Council plenary session was the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Research, Aisén Etcheverry, who announced that the resolution identifying the universities that will enter Phase 1 of the University R&D&I Structural Financing Program was published today. This program comprises the Territorial University R&D&I Fund (FIUT) and the Border University R&D&I Fund (FIUF). She also indicated that a new call for applications for Phase 1 will open in early 2025 to allow universities that were not initially selected to apply.
Minister Etcheverry also referred to the approval of the change in the gloss on the use of funds by regional governments, which will allow resources to be transferred directly to universities without going through new competitions, facilitating the execution of regional research and development projects.
To finalize the allocation of these funds to universities, the minister requested the assistance of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) in organizing meetings with regional governors to explain the importance of investing in local universities. “We need the rectors to help us prepare these meetings, as we have the opportunity to link university research with the development plans of each region,” she stated.
Text: CRUCH Communications
Photos: Courtesy of the University of Concepción and the General Secretariat of CRUCH.
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