Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA launch training program to foster a culture of innovation among researchers

Nine projects involving professionals from eight Chilean institutions will take part in “Beyond Academy”, an initiative that seeks to turn science into innovation, in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside.

Chilean researchers are recognized worldwide for the quality of their scientific publications. However, few of the technologies they create go on to impact the market and society. To close this gap, rooted in the disconnect between R&D&I projects and industry needs, Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA created the Beyond Academy program, in collaboration with the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside).

This initiative, based on the National Science Foundation (NSF) iCorps methodology, is aimed at lead researchers and their teams, with the goal of giving them tools and methodologies to discover potential customers for their technologies and validate their value propositions through direct interviews with relevant industry players. With this, the hubs seek to contribute to the cultural transformation of the scientific community in order to increase the impact of their research results and technologies.

The first pilot ran in 2020, led by UC Riverside, a university certified to teach iCorps. This first cohort included 64 researchers and professionals from nine partner institutions of Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA. They conducted some 120 interviews with companies and devoted more than 84 hours to training and mentoring. 97% of the participants in this cohort said they would recommend the initiative.

In the 2021 edition, the hubs took the lead. Over the six sessions, the participating teams must share the findings from their interviews, information that will help them design an attractive value proposition of their technology for companies. They will then receive feedback from their UC Riverside mentors. They travel this whole path with the support of professionals from Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA.

“Beyond Academy benefits the participating team, the institution it belongs to and the business customer the technology is focused on. But it also has a positive impact on institutions such as ANID, through better use of the public resources invested in the projects, which should seek from the outset to find their place in society. And that is when we reach the true beneficiary: society as a whole,” said Javier Ramírez, Executive Director of Know Hub Chile, which counts UC Riverside as a strategic ally.

“At APTA, we believe it is important to open spaces for researchers to dare to innovate and, in this way, generate technology solutions that are more connected to industry needs. That is why we are happy to implement, together with Know Hub, the Beyond Academy training program, which aims to build a culture of innovation within the partner universities of both hubs, thus contributing to the transformation of our productive matrix into one founded on knowledge and with an impact on society,” said APTA Executive Director Varinka Farren.

The teams

Nine teams are part of this second edition of Beyond Academy, representing eight partner universities of Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA, as well as the science- and technology-based startup Inner Core, with its IC Med technology.

Ayem (INACAP): Artificial intelligence model for optimizing lithium-ion batteries to improve electric vehicle fleet performance. Led by Felipe Núñez Donoso.

DrinKeeper (U. del Bío-Bío): Non-thermal technology that enhances the properties and increases the physicochemical and microbiological stability of food, extending its shelf life from 10 days to more than four months. Led by Gipsy Tabilo Munizaga.

EnzymPro (U. Tecnológica Metropolitana): Process for the sustainable production of an emulsifying agent (monoglyceride) for making healthy, reduced-fat foods. Led by Nadia Guajardo

Fuel Boosters (U. Tecnológica Metropolitana): Nanoparticle fuel additive that seeks to reduce the environmental footprint of toxic emissions. Led by Radhamanohar Aepuru

IC MED (Inner Core): Integration of digital signal processing, statistical models and machine learning through an interface that provides data analysis to monitor and prevent heart disease. Led by Sergio Vera.

Response (U. Católica del Norte): Technology that optimizes the out-of-hospital response time of emergency medical services. Led by Hernán Cáceres

Smart 3D printing (U. Adolfo Ibáñez): Optimized design of 3D-printed concrete structures to withstand seismic loads. Led by Federico Antico.

Skinchem (U. de Talca): Method for synthesizing a copolymer (hyaluronic acid and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid) to produce nanoparticles capable of encapsulating compounds of interest to the dermocosmetic industry to prevent and reverse sun damage caused by UV radiation. Led by Flavia Zacconi.

Terraheat (Universidad de Concepción): Mapping service for available geothermal resources to harness the energy for space heating and industrial process heating. Led by Ramón Díaz.