Paola Armijo

The National Research and Development Agency (ANID) announced the results of the Fondef IDeA 2025 Technological Research Competition (Fondef IT), in which two projects submitted by the University of Santiago de Chile obtained funding.

This achievement reflects an increase in institutional participation compared to 2024. Last year, the University submitted 11 applications and secured one award. In this year’s edition, Usach submitted 15 initiatives and obtained two awards, demonstrating its growing commitment to and success in applied research funding among Chilean universities.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are revolutionizing industries and companies, making their operations more efficient, effective, and even more sustainable.

These technologies could help optimize the monitoring of industrial fishing vessels to track bycatch, the practice of throwing non-target species caught incidentally back into the ocean.

Despite public policies like the REP and Single-Use Plastics laws, plastic waste management remains a significant national challenge. According to Fundación Chile, our country consumes nearly one million tons of plastic annually, with only a meager 8.5% being recycled.

To address this challenge, the University of Santiago (Usach) has partnered with the Juan Fernández Circular R&D project. Led by CircularTec and funded by ANID, the project’s goal is to treat plastic waste from a circular economy perspective and develop useful products for the archipelago’s community.

Driven by high international demand, Chilean fruit growing has expanded steadily in recent decades. To maintain competitiveness, the sector has adopted intensive practices like higher planting density, aggressive pruning, and heavy fertilizer use.

Unfortunately, these practices have led to an increase in phytopathogenic fungal diseases, especially those affecting fruit tree wood. Such infections weaken the trees’ structure and significantly diminish their productivity.

With a significant turnout, the University of Santiago, Chile, presented the First Symposium on Agricultural Water Quality. This event sought to underscore the pressing challenges the country faces concerning irrigation water quality and its effects on public health, the environment, and food safety.

The event was organized by the Center for Food Science and Technology Studies (CECTA Usach) and the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA), with support from Corfo, Odepa, INDAP, CNR, Chile Alimentos, and Hortach.

In recent decades, human activity has severely threatened natural marine habitats, including reefs, estuaries, and mangroves.

The increasing expansion of underwater and coastal infrastructure poses a major threat, with the construction of ports, breakwaters, and platforms leading to significant ecosystem alterations.

An educational event for schoolchildren and teachers in Quilimarí, Los Vilos (Coquimbo Region), marked the conclusion of the Fondef project, “Multifunctional biotechnological tool for adaptation to climate change.” This initiative was led by Dr. Claudia Ortiz Calderón, a researcher at the University of Santiago, Chile’s Faculty of Chemistry and Biology.

A total of eleven applied research projects from the faculties of Engineering, Technology, Science, Medical Sciences, and Chemistry and Biology at the University of Santiago de Chile were awarded the Fondef IDeA I+D 2025 competition, organized by ANID. Nationwide, 129 initiatives will receive this funding.

For our institution, this result represents an 8.5% increase in awards compared to 2024, when eight proposals received funding. Institutional participation also expanded, with three to five faculties involved, while the number of applications grew from 44 to 51.

A total of eleven applied research projects from the faculties of Engineering, Technology, Science, Medical Sciences, and Chemistry and Biology at the University of Santiago de Chile were awarded the Fondef IDeA I+D 2025 competition, organized by ANID. Nationwide, 129 initiatives will receive this funding.

For our institution, this result represents an 8.5% increase in awards compared to 2024, when eight proposals received funding. Institutional participation also expanded, with three to five faculties involved, while the number of applications grew from 44 to 51.

Climate change is significantly altering the quality and fertility of agricultural land, hindering its capacity to retain nutrients, capture moisture, and support vegetation. To combat this phenomenon, the use of microorganisms such as cyanobacteria offers an effective solution.

In response, Usach’s Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, specifically its Plant Biochemistry and Phytoremediation Laboratory, is developing a multifunctional biotechnological tool based on these living organisms to enhance soil adaptability and mitigate the climate crisis.