The University of Talca presented ONE, the new seal with which FIU Frontera will project, awarded in late 2025, and which is a long-term science project seeking to promote a closer way – transdisciplinary and connected to the territory – of conducting research from the regions.
UNE emerges as a closer and more human expression of FIU Frontera (Fund awarded by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation to UTalca), and seeks to unite knowledge, innovation, territory, and society. With this identity, the University of Talca reinforces its public vocation of generating excellent science from the regions, with the capacity to provide concrete solutions and to project itself nationally and internationally.
The launch took place at the university's Extension Center and was led by the Undersecretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Carolina Rossi Pantoja; the regional governor of Maule, Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca Ramírez; and the rector of UTalca, Arcadio Cerda Urrutia, representatives of the 3 public institutions that are joining forces to finance the project for the next 10 years.
“Through this project, the University is recognized for its capabilities in research, innovation, knowledge, and technological transfer. This initiative will provide us with the resources and time to strengthen and consolidate what we do as a university, and in that way, contribute more effectively to the region,” stated Rector Arcadio Cerda Urrutia.
For her part, the Undersecretary of Science, Carolina Rossi Pantoja, highlighted the value of regional universities in generating impactful knowledge. “Instruments like these are fundamental because they are foundational, they are structural for the support of academia and universities, and therefore of researchers who are doing science from here to the world. They are long-term instruments, therefore, which normally go beyond a government, they are state policies,” she stated.
In the same vein, the regional governor of Maule, Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca, reaffirmed his commitment to these types of initiatives. “As a Regional Government, we will continue to promote innovation, science, and technology, because we know it is the engine of development. Today, we have 40,000 students in the Maule region, and ultimately, we want them to go out and conquer not only our country, but the entire world. What we are doing is investing in development, competitiveness, and talent,” he stated.
Implementation
During the ceremony, the academic vice-rector of UTalca, Lina Uribe Vélez, explained that, “the UNE project is in the implementation stage and its development seeks to break down historical gaps in research, development, and innovation, strengthening a more complex science, with a real impact on the challenges of Maule, of the country, and with international projection.”.
Uribe also announced that the project's first academic meeting will take place between August 3rd and 7th. This is a key milestone for informing the scientific community about the pathways to collaborate with UNE and the mechanisms for joining this new collaborative work model. This event will mark the beginning of a schedule of meetings and coordination with regional ecosystem stakeholders.
