At a ceremony held this week, the Chilean Army (Ejército de Chile), through its Education and Doctrine Command (CEDOC), and the Know Hub Chile corporation signed a strategic collaboration agreement aimed at strengthening technological innovation capabilities with a dual civilian and defense focus.
- Strategic agreement: The Chilean Army and Know Hub drive technological innovation with a dual civilian-defense focus.
- Key areas: Artificial intelligence, automation, simulation and logistics sensors.
- Ecosystem: Ties with universities, startups and research centers for technology transfer.
Areas of collaboration
The agreement, signed on June 18 and officially announced on June 23, seeks to create a stable framework for cooperation in applied research, open innovation, technology transfer and prototype maturation. All of this will be channeled mainly through the Research and Technological Innovation Center (CIITEC) of the Chilean Army, with the aim of addressing the institution’s operational and strategic challenges.
The agreement’s priority areas include access to innovation networks and the development of projects in artificial intelligence, automation, simulation, logistics sensors and other emerging technologies. It also envisages formulating joint technology challenges, building specialized teams and establishing ties with universities, research centers, startups and other public bodies to facilitate the transfer of knowledge into concrete applications of national interest.
Major General Gustavo Ellwanger A., commander of CEDOC, highlighted the importance of this partnership during the signing: “for the Army this collaboration is crucial, because defense has technological needs that can benefit from the knowledge and innovations developed in the civilian sector.”
For his part, Javier Ramírez R., executive director of Know Hub Chile, said the agreement represents “a space for connecting science, defense, industry and government to activate dual innovation in Chile, driving technologies that respond to the country’s strategic challenges and generate public value, productive development and technological capabilities with national and international impact.”
Initiatives of this kind reflect the Chilean Armed Forces’ growing interest in incorporating dual-use technology solutions, in line with regional efforts to strengthen the defense industry and strategic autonomy. Know Hub Chile, which specializes in innovation and technology transfer, has already driven several similar projects with other military institutions in recent years, strengthening the sector’s public-private collaboration ecosystem.
The signing of the agreement comes at a time when the Army is moving forward with the modernization of its capabilities, seeking to integrate tools that improve operability in complex environments, from logistics to support for border and Antarctic operations. The first concrete results of the agreement are expected to materialize in the coming months through pilot projects and specific technology challenges. (Luis Andres Lautaro)
Read the original article at https://www.defensa.com/chile/ejercito-chile-know-hub-firman-acuerdo-estrategico-para-impulsar
