The National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) announced the results of the 2025 competition for Research Rings in Specific Thematic Areas, where various national institutions were awarded strategic projects related to Antarctic science, and Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environment and ecosystems.
The «ANID Rings» instrument finances collaborative research projects with a three-year duration. Its objective is to consolidate national scientific capabilities, addressing priority challenges in Antarctica and its surrounding areas. These initiatives aim to generate advanced knowledge, strengthen interdisciplinary research, and promote the training of advanced human capital, scientific-technological development, and the articulation of local and international research networks.
In this context, six projects were selected, a figure that was highlighted by the technical deputy director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), Andrés López, who stated that “this is the occasion on which the largest number of Antarctic Rings have been awarded. The Rings are the second competitive fund that provides the most resources to research projects, after institutes or centers. Therefore, having six of these initiatives in Antarctic matters is very good news for the development of science in its different areas,” he commented.
Awarded Projects
Emerging Risks in Antarctica and the Subantarctic Region: Assessment of Pathogens and Contaminants in Wildlife Through Active Surveillance
Dr. Víctor Neira Ramírez (University of Chile) leads this project, which has INACH as an associate institution and seeks to identify and evaluate the presence of emerging pathogens and environmental contaminants in the wildlife of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic region. Through sampling campaigns in seabirds, penguins, and marine mammals, the initiative will integrate molecular biology, genomics, and ecotoxicology tools, with the aim of strengthening environmental surveillance and providing key scientific evidence for conservation and decision-making in these ecosystems.
The holobiome of Antarctic vascular plants: evaluation of novel ecophysiological and microbial traits for understanding their responses to climate change
Dr. Patricia Sáez Delgado (Universidad de La Frontera, UFRO) leads this project, with the Universidad de Concepción (UdeC) as the secondary beneficiary institution, aiming to understand how vascular plants in Antarctica (Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis) and their microbial communities respond to climate change conditions, exploring ecophysiological and microbial traits fundamental to the adaptability and resilience of these species.
Transformations of Antarctic island ecosystems under the human footprint: A geochemical, microbiological, and socio-ecological perspective
Led by Dr. Carolina Merino Guzmán (UFRO), this project addresses the transformations of Antarctic island ecosystems resulting from human activity and other global change factors. The approach integrates geochemical, microbiological, and socio-ecological methods to characterize functional and structural changes in these communities.
Recirculation of Emerging Organic Contaminants Driven by Meltwater and its Trophic Effects on Antarctic Coastal Ecosystems (ICE-trophic)
Dr. Cristóbal Galbán Malagón (GEMA Center, Genomics, Ecology and Environment at Universidad Mayor) is leading this initiative, which studies how persistent organic pollutants, especially per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are released with polar ice melt and redistributed through food chains in Antarctic coastal ecosystems, assessing their ecological effects on microorganisms, plankton, fish, and invertebrates. The project is being carried out with collaborating researchers from Universidad de Talca, Universidad San Sebastián, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.
PRISMA – Risk of Plant Invasion in a Changing Antarctica: A Multidisciplinary Assessment Approach
Dr. Ian Acuña Rodríguez (University of Talca) is leading the PRISMA project, which analyzes the risk of invasion by non-native plants in Antarctica amid receding ice, rising temperatures, and increased human activity. The initiative, developed in collaboration with researchers from the Universidad del Bío-Bío and Universidad Católica del Maule, combines ecological, climatic, and biogeographic approaches to identify vulnerable areas, strengthen early monitoring systems, and propose biosecurity strategies, contributing to the protection of Antarctic ecosystems against new biological threats.
Polar ecosystem alteration: light pollution could modify the ecological effects of global warming (DIPOLE)
Led by Dr. José Pulgar Águila (Universidad Andrés Bello), with participation from Dr. Paula Celis-Plá (Universidad de Playa Ancha, UPLA), this project analyzes how artificial nighttime light pollution interacts with global warming to alter ecological processes in polar ecosystems. The study will be carried out in Fildes Bay, evaluating the combined effects of artificial light and temperature on different organisms and proposing mitigation measures against these emerging impacts.
Together, these six projects represent a substantial contribution to strengthening Chilean Antarctic science and consolidate Chile as a committed player in generating cutting-edge scientific knowledge on the environmental, health, and ecological processes affecting Antarctica and its surrounding environments.
The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) is a technical body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with full autonomy in all matters related to scientific, technological, and dissemination aspects of Antarctic affairs. INACH fulfills the National Antarctic Policy by encouraging the development of excellent research, effectively participating in the Antarctic Treaty System and related forums, strengthening Magallanes as the gateway to the White Continent, and undertaking actions to disseminate Antarctic knowledge to the public. INACH organizes the National Antarctic Science Program (PROCIEN).
Source: Chilean Antarctic Institute - INACH
