Four research teams named finalists of Proa I+D, a program of the Chilean Navy and Know Hub Chile

The teams, from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the Universidad de Santiago de Chile and the Universidad de Concepción, are currently in the third stage of the program, which involves applying for funding. Later, once competitive funds are awarded and the project is approved, it will be carried out as planned and agreed in the application.

PROA I+D, the program developed by the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) together with Know Hub Chile, which seeks to connect the institution with those conducting research in the country through applied research of mutual interest in which the Chilean Navy can provide unique spaces for testing, piloting and validation, now has four finalist teams.

The selected research projects were: “Navy Fuel Cells: Study of the behavior of a PEM fuel cell in marine environments to power Chilean Navy vessels and submarines”, from the Universidad de Santiago, led by Isaac Díaz; “Hydrophones for ship detection (Hidróforo)”, from the Universidad Católica de Chile, led by Federico Fuentes; “New Technology for System Oxygenation”, from the Universidad Católica de Chile, led by Flavia Zacconi; and the team “Development of an in-lab evaluation system to determine the performance of systems exposed to marine fouling”, from the Universidad de Concepción, led by Felipe Montoya

The finalists will receive support for R&D (research and development) activities and for securing public funding.

Program stages

PROA I+D has four stages. The first was the identification and selection of research proposals of institutional interest or with potential for development in that field, in which 10 teams were selected. In the second phase, beneficiary discovery and support from institutional spaces took place: the relevance and importance of the problem or challenge to be addressed were validated, and the spaces needed to carry out the proposed applied research and development were identified and explored.

The teams are currently in the third stage, applying for funding, working together with the Navy and Know Hub to define how to apply to the available competitive funds. Finally, in the fourth stage, execution of the R&D project, if a project is awarded funding, it will be carried out as agreed in the application.

Jovanka Trebotich, Innovation Coordinator at Know Hub Chile, highlights the caliber of the teams and the diversity of research that took part in the PROA I+D program, “which shows us that national researchers are interested in initiatives like PROA I+D and in the Navy being part of the R&D&I ecosystem.”

Lieutenant Commander Cristian Faúndez, in charge of the PROA I+D program, says the initiative has given the Chilean Navy the opportunity to learn about a range of projects led by researchers from academic institutions and research centers, whose maritime-related proposals make it possible to find common points of interest, “allowing us to collaborate in developing these lines of research through the experience and knowledge of our naval personnel, as well as by providing institutional spaces for tests, trials and validations.”

At the start, explains Trebotich, Know Hub Chile held a Bootcamp with the 10 selected teams, where they were taught beneficiary/customer discovery, which they applied in the second stage. Follow-up sessions were then held with all 10 teams.

During the first two stages of Proa I+D, says Commander Faúndez, the Navy accompanied the research teams, who took part in activities that allowed them to see the institution from a different perspective. “This gave them the opportunity to interact with Navy specialists related to their research proposals through visits, meetings and interviews, allowing the teams to cross-check information to keep moving these initiatives forward,” he stresses.

Now, during this third phase, “our task is to keep supporting and accompanying them in developing their research, working jointly with the researchers,” says Commander Faúndez.

This first edition of PROA I+D is a pilot, adds Trebotich, “so we are eager to see the results of the funding applications and to be able to repeat this initiative in coming years and for other funding sources.” The goal is to boost research and development by fostering systematic collaboration between defense and the science, technology, knowledge and innovation (CTCI) ecosystem

The Chilean Navy is present throughout the national territory and operates in a variety of areas across different dimensions of that territory. That is why the institution is highly interested in addressing problems, opportunities or challenges that are relevant to it and that can span various fields of knowledge.