The purpose of the activity was to inform about the details of the Fourth Contest for the Valuation of Research at the University, valid from June 09 to August 07.

In the Alejandro Covarrubias Hall of the University of La Serena, a dissemination talk was held this Thursday, July 17, to publicize the details of the “Fourth Contest for the Valuation of Research at the University”, carried out by the Research Development Fund. Technological Development (FONDEF) of the National Council of the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT). 

The activity headed by the FONDEF executive, Esteban Zárate, was organized by the Research Directorate of the University of La Serena (DIULS), and was attended by the director of Postgraduate and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Jorge Rojas, in addition to twenty of academics and students interested in delving deeper into the aspects of this initiative whose applications will be open until August 07.

The objective of the “Fourth Competition for the Valuation of Research at the University” lies in promoting a culture of innovative entrepreneurship in the university community, based on the valorization of the research carried out in Chilean universities by undergraduate and postgraduate graduates. To this end, the program promotes the formation of skills to carry out new ventures, businesses or companies based on the research carried out by undergraduate and/or postgraduate graduates within the framework of their university reports or theses.

According to the rules of the contest, the following can participate in an associated manner: 1) undergraduate or graduate students who are doing or have completed their memoirs or thesis in Chile; 2) guiding teachers of these students and/or associated researchers who are related to the area of ​​scientific research or main development of the project and who give it relevance to the development of the objectives of the proposal. At least one of the guiding professors and/or associated researchers must have participated as director, alternate director, main researcher, responsible researcher or co-investigator of CONICYT projects. which will be indicated, INNOVA Chile from CORFO, the Millennium Scientific Initiative or the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), or Internal Research Competitions at the university as appropriate, during the last five years; and 3) the University in which the report or thesis was carried out or is being carried out and which sponsors the project.

Additionally, undergraduate memory students and postgraduate thesis students may consider the participation of mentors in new business development who help in the formation and acceleration of the new venture. The focus of the program is on the students as mobilizers of knowledge towards productive or social instances.

Those interested in participating in this initiative will find more information in http://www.conicyt.cl/fondef/2014/06/09/cuarto-concurso-de-valorizacion-de-la-investigacion-en-la-universidad/.