Within the framework of the monthly meeting of rectors of public universities grouped in the Consortium of State Universities (CUECH), Aisén Etcheverry, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, addressed the importance of developing research together with these institutions, noting that “we have a permanent working relationship with the Consortium of Universities. We have a space to discuss and seek the guidelines, in order to jointly and collaboratively promote the development of research in higher education institutions”.
During this conference, the importance of technological scientific development and innovation for regional and national development was discussed. The president of CUECH, Osvaldo Corrales, highlighted the role played by these institutions in this regard, emphasizing that “the State universities are an instrument for this development. From the installed capacities that the universities have, this technological scientific development is carried out, which is not only an abstract, but translates into an improvement in the quality of life of citizens ”, he emphasized.
The minister also referred to the importance of working with the regions and added that “coming to the territories, being able to talk with the universities and with the actors in the territories, allows us to better identify where the opportunities are, where they are the tools and what are the tools they need to move forward.”
For his part, the rector of the Arturo Prat University, Alberto Martínez Quesada, highlighted the presence of the rectors in the city of Iquique, assuring that what is achieved in these meetings “benefits the country and the territories. The minister is very concerned about promoting science in all the territories of our country and of course for us it is a tremendous opportunity”.
During the activity, Minister Aisén Etcheverry also referred to the national lithium strategy, in which universities have an important challenge in research that will allow “to carry out productive development with a vision of the future, ensuring that what we leave for our future generations is something from which they can also live and develop.”
As part of the actions carried out by public universities, the joint agenda to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup was also discussed, which will seek to open spaces for reflection for the university community and society in general through different milestones.
In this regard, the president of CUECH and rector of the University of Valparaíso pointed out that “we are universities that are at the service of the country and that we recognize among our values tolerance, respect for diversity, the promotion of democracy and respect for human rights”. Within this framework, he added, “we are working on a line of activities that promote reflection that helps us imagine a future that is better for our citizens.”
Fountain: Communications – UNAP-CUECH
