Andrea Rodríguez Tastets: “In this administration, I would expect a policy that, in addition to fostering curiosity and creativity, can focus on priority areas with national impact.”

The president of the CRUCH Research Advisory Commission says that - after the installation of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation in the previous administration - she hopes that the new government will emphasize issues related to the health and well-being of the population, and ecosystems, among others.

The Vice-Rector of Research and Development at the University of Concepción also asserts that "higher education in this country, the creation of knowledge and its culture owe much to the contribution made for decades by state universities together with those of the G9.".

This Thursday, April 28, at the monthly session of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), the new Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI), Dr. Flavio Salazar, will be present to share the guidelines and emphasis of the new government in these areas.

In this context, Andrea Rodríguez Tastets, president of the Research Advisory Commission of the Council of Rectors, reflects on the aspects that should be considered in the national science, technology, innovation, and community (STI) policy, the issues and challenges Chile faces in fostering its development, and the relevance of all the universities within the Council of Rectors to building a new development model. Furthermore, based on the collaborative work among the CRUCH universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, she recounts some of the most significant lessons learned over the past two years.

With regard to the work carried out by the Commission - made up of vice-rectors of research from the 30 universities that make up CRUCH - it identifies the relevant issues for the current year and the medium term.

– In your opinion, what new elements or aspects should be included in the National Policy on Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of the new government?

First, I hope that the new policy will be well aligned with the national Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (STKI) strategy, which will soon be made public.

On the other hand, following the establishment of a new institutional framework by the previous administration through the new Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Cooperatives (CTCI), I would expect this administration to implement a policy that, in addition to fostering curiosity and creativity, prioritizes areas with national impact, such as the health and well-being of the population and ecosystems. Furthermore, it should address gaps in thematic areas and forms of knowledge, encouraging interdisciplinary solutions, and promote the country's overall development by fostering distributed or decentralized capacities. Finally, the national CTCI policy should provide feedback to the national development model and education policy in general.

– From your perspective, what are the issues and challenges that Chile faces in promoting its development? And which issues require further exploration?

We are a small country with an economy based on the export of certain natural resources, such as minerals and pulp, which have little added value and require increasing amounts of energy and fresh water. The demand for these resources is conflicting with the needs of the population, not only nationally but also globally. Energy and freshwater security, along with health and food security, are paramount challenges for any development.

The question then becomes: how can science, technology, innovation, and community development (STCI) policy contribute to addressing these challenges, while also generating new knowledge and fostering innovation? The answers are not simple, but I would highlight the following five: (1) the training and integration of advanced human capital; (2) the study and management of the ecosystem we inhabit, confronting its challenges and leveraging its globally differentiating opportunities; (3) promoting the link between science and technology, which not only involves generating technology from scientific knowledge (where vaccines or the improvement of production processes are classic examples), but also generating technology for scientific development (instrumentation for astronomical research, research on our ecosystems, etc.); (4) collaboration among different disciplines and the various actors in the system; and (5) a strategy to create spaces and opportunities for the inclusion and attraction of new talent.

Joint contribution of universities

– A few weeks ago, Minister Flavio Salazar highlighted, in a press release, the importance of all CRUCH universities in building a new development model. Do you agree with this statement? If so, in what way?

We cannot ignore our history or the existing capabilities we have throughout the country. I believe Minister Salazar is aiming for this, and I couldn't agree more. Higher education in this country, the creation of knowledge, and its culture owe a great deal to the contributions made for decades by state universities and those of the G9. It's worth remembering that some of these universities emerged from the local communities themselves, as a mechanism for decentralization, contributing significantly to building Chile as a nation from the regions. This has been recognized before and should continue to be recognized.

– Minister Salazar also emphasized the importance of academia's role in promoting a new higher education system, one that should focus on collaboration and cooperation across the entire academic community for the well-being and development of the country. From your perspective and experience, how can progress be made toward this goal?

Major national challenges, such as those mentioned above, cannot be addressed in a traditional way, that is, relying solely on individual competence. No single research group or institution has the capacity to solve complex problems of this magnitude. The current system essentially maintains a status quo. Therefore, we must strive to move towards mission-oriented or problem-solving work with an interdisciplinary approach that values collaboration, without sacrificing disciplinary development. This does not require duplicating all research capabilities everywhere, but rather creating nodes with strong collaborative networks that foster a more robust and resilient system. Likewise, academic mobility and collaborative advanced training programs are strategies to be considered. In short, I am convinced that individual development becomes sustainable over time when it is harmonized with the development of the system as a whole.

Lessons learned from COVID-19

– In the context of the COVID pandemic, what was the experience of collaborative work among CRUCH universities? What were the most significant lessons learned from this process?

Universities adapted and responded to the pandemic. Proof of this is the diagnostic network coordinated by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Universities (CTCI) in conjunction with the CRUCH universities, through which laboratories were established in 11 regions of the country. These laboratories performed more than 800,000 PCR tests, thus contributing to the decentralization of COVID-19 diagnostic capacity and supporting public service laboratories. This was only possible thanks to the relevant human resources and infrastructure capabilities that universities have been developing for years with their own funds, as well as public resources from research and development projects. Other initiatives include telemedicine platforms and support for rural education; mechanical ventilators; and data analysis on mobility and pandemic spread for decision-making, even achieving international recognition in the latter case. I believe the pandemic prompted us to build trust to establish collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors, and we hope that this trust will be maintained and strengthened over time. We also learned that distributed capabilities create a more resilient country in emergency situations.

– Finally, what topics are of particular interest and relevance to the Research Commission for this year 2022 and in the medium term?

We are interested, among other things, in knowing the general guidelines of this government's policy, the existence or not of priority areas, the existence of new instruments to support STI, solving problems for attracting talent and internationalization, maintaining and strengthening communication with all actors in the system and, last but not least, supporting greater funding for the national STI system.