Chile’s Technology Transfer Law: key points, impact on universities and opportunities for entrepreneurs

The passage of the Technology Transfer Law is a historic milestone for Chile’s Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI) ecosystem. The law seeks to resolve long-standing bottlenecks and to regulate the flow of knowledge from higher education institutions to society and the market, strengthening the universities’ third mission.

What is the Technology Transfer Law and where does it come from?

After years of dialogue between the government, universities, technology hubs and the private sector, this law takes shape as a comprehensive framework. Its central purpose is to support Research and Development (R&D) activities, the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) and the promotion of science- and technology-based companies.

The law sets clear mandates for universities and knowledge-generating institutions (IGC), as well as for the ministries of CTCI, Education and Economy, making innovation a structural pillar of national development.

A boost for science- and technology-based companies (EBCT)

One of the most anticipated advances of this legislation is the removal of legal barriers to creating university spin-offs or EBCTs:

State universities: It ends the administrative incompatibilities and disqualifications that prevented public academics and researchers from taking part in the creation and governance of science startups, regulating conflicts of interest and commitments.

Private and non-state universities: It formally recognizes that creating technology companies is an essential part of university work.

“The good, the bad and the odd” in the new legal framework

The ecosystem’s analysis identifies key aspects that will transform technology management:

The good: It makes the transfer and innovation mandate in higher education explicit, giving academia legal certainty to collaborate actively with the private sector and defense.

The bad: It requires that holding equity in EBCTs and certain collaboration agreements go through complex administrative procedures, such as approval by the Superintendency of Education and review by the Comptroller General’s Office (CGR).

The odd: It introduces regulatory concepts such as “socially responsible licensing”, active transparency through EBCT registries, the National Repository and rules on trade secrets and the public domain.

The ethical obligation to turn science into impact

Beyond the legal debate, technology transfer is an ethical imperative: research must become real products, services and ventures that benefit citizens.

In this setting, Know Hub Chile acts as the strategic orchestrator that supports universities and OTLs, providing world-class tools so that researchers and entrepreneurs can adopt international standards on their own.