The state university of the Coquimbo Region was represented by its Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Eduardo Notte.

For 2 days, the Vice-Rectors and Directors of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the State universities that make up the CUECH Research Network met at the Metropolitan Technological University, UTEM, in a day whose objective was to continue working to respond to the mandate defined for this year, delivered by the Framework Agreement that supports this network, which directly contributes to the strengthening of the state university system.

The University of La Serena participated in this meeting held in Santiago, represented by its Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Eduardo Notte.
 
These meetings make it possible to establish guidelines and virtuous alliances, which help the universities in the consortium to seek mechanisms that allow them to enhance their activities in the scientific-technological field.
 
In this particular meeting, the members of the Network developed 2 axes of work that were to investigate a proposal that develops associative doctorates, in the short and medium term and, finally, guide guidelines for improvements in accreditation in the field of research, by presenting experiences from state universities, to increase their scientific productivity.
 
“From this demand for objectives, this conference was established to work with good practices that have implied an increase in scientific productivity and those universities that have experiences of associative doctorates were also asked to put their ideas on the table. relative experiences on what have been the main difficulties they have faced, the barriers they have overcome and what are the good practices that can be repeated,” indicated Mónica Quiroz, Director of the CUECH Network Objective Framework Agreement.
 
The topic of prospecting for associative Doctorates between the universities of the consortium was central to this day, especially in the new scenario that is configured with the new laws on Higher Education and State Universities. In this sense, the new requirements for institutional accreditation, which among other criteria now integrate pre- and post-graduate training processes of an “accreditable” standard, will be great challenges for our institutions.
 
Given this scenario, this day also included the participation of the National Accreditation Commission, CNA, where Daniela Poblete Cánepa, head of the Postgraduate Accreditation Department, provided an updated look at the procedures and criteria for postgraduate accreditation, data and good practices for the creation of doctorates in consortium, curricular innovation in postgraduate studies and criteria to advance towards high-quality postgraduate degrees.
 
“With the rules imposed by the new laws on Higher Education and State Universities, where quality assurance and complexity are emphasized, compliance with strict standards in scientific-technological productivity is a challenge for our universities, which is why we must define how we can learn from our experiences and advance in our association, leaving aside the logic of competition,” indicated Dr. Elizabeth Troncoso Ahués, Director of Research and Academic Development at UTEM.
 
The academic added that “this will allow us to enhance the contribution that the State universities make to the country's development, with a focus on the creation and application of knowledge, to solve problems in our community, and to form advanced human capital that is the resource that promotes development under this perspective.”

On this day, in addition, the Network was informed that Sunday, October 07, will be the National Day of Sciences, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation." For this reason, some guidelines were defined so that the Universities of the Consortium develop a common strategy throughout the country and that contemplates, for example, opening research laboratories, so that scientists can show citizens the research work that is carried out in the universities.
 
All of this also coincides with the fact that October 08 to 14 is the National Science and Technology Week, a date established by the MINEDUC, which provides the possibility for our scientists to bring their work closer to the school community, visiting various schools and informing students in a playful way about the work they do at universities.
 
On this day, the attending institutions were the University of La Serena, University of Atacama, University of Chile, University of Valparaíso, University of Antofagasta, University of Santiago, University of Playa Ancha, University of Bío Bío, University Arturo Prat, University of Talca , University of Los Lagos and Metropolitan Technological University, as host.