The Innovation, Development and Transfer Office (OIDT) summoned different companies in the construction industry to early validate the patent application “Nanotechnological structural lightweight concrete”. This technology was developed jointly by the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA) and Professor Roberto Lavín, director of the Institute of Basic Sciences of the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences and director of the Research Laboratory in University Nanotechnology.
On this occasion, the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Dora Altbir, and representatives of companies such as SIKA, Polpaico, Hormipret, Sacyr and the Technological Center for Construction Innovation (CTEC) attended.
Also, during the instance, Professor Roberto Lavín exposed the details of this proposal that, specifically, seeks to contribute to the development of a new material for construction. “It was super interesting to talk to the companies, because they give you a more external approach. At the University we are focused on producing knowledge and we are not so connected with the business world, so these initiatives are very relevant”, said Professor Roberto Lavín, regarding this meeting.
For his part, Pablo Romero, director of the Innovation, Development and Transfer Office and general coordinator of Factoría UDP, said that it is important to carry out this type of dialogue, since it allows validating the technologies developed within the campus. Along these lines, he stated that feedback from the industry is essential.
“Who better than the industry to tell us if we are doing it right or wrong to focus the University’s research? The knowledge that is generated within the UDP cannot be left alone within the University, but must be transferred to Chilean society and industry to generate a real impact”, he commented.
Meanwhile, Belén Catalán, ITDO transfer and marketing manager and person in charge of the activity, highlighted the exchange of ideas that took place during the meeting and stated that “the companies that attended gave us a feedback It will help us a lot to implement the technology in the industry”.
“They guided us in what we lack so that the innovation can finally be applied and transferred. In addition, they opened the doors for us to generate new collaborations. We are super happy with the development of this activity”, added the professional.
During the activity, attendees had the opportunity to raise their views on the project. Regarding this, Hugo Olivares, senior scientific researcher at SIKA, indicated: “The project in general is interesting. It can have a good reach and it can help to have a more sustainable industry in the future. However, it is in an early stage and there are things that still need to be validated, but in general, it seems very good to me.
In turn, Carlos Castro, head of Sacyr’s structures area, commented: “The project is very interesting and could be applicable in the industry. It lacks a bit of development, but it is in line with what we are investigating as well. What caught my attention the most is the versatility of use. It has many applications that it is important to define from now on”.
The “Nanotechnological structural lightweight concrete” project, whose patent application is jointly owned by the UDP and the Center for the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CEDENNA), seeks to generate a new type of concrete based on nanoparticles. Although it is already in an advanced stage of development, now the challenge is to test this technology in real scenarios for its subsequent transfer to society.
This invention was made thanks to obtaining, in 2020, the UDP Inventa fund, a contest that seeks to promote and facilitate the identification of the research results of the researchers of the campus and whose call will be open until July 31. For more information about this contest, enter this link.
