Know Hub Chile was summoned to the Senate Defense Committee to present the design of a defense innovation ITP it is carrying out under a mandate from the Ministry of Defense
Know Hub News
· Santiago
The future ITP will contribute to National Defense by generating public goods that enable systematic collaboration between the defense sector, the science, technology, knowledge and innovation ecosystem, and the productive sector.
In the development of innovation, the defense sector is an influential and prominent player, always at the forefront of technological progress. Developments with major civil implications are proof of this, such as the internet, space navigation systems or GPS, and even everyday microwaves and popular drones, to name just a few.
To strengthen that role in Chile, in 2023 Corfo launched a competition to support the design and strategic plan for a Public Technological Institute for Defense Innovation, or Defense Innovation ITP. The goal? To contribute to National Defense (understood as a public good in itself) by generating public goods that enable systematic collaboration between the defense sector, the science, technology, knowledge and innovation (CTCI) ecosystem, and the productive sector.
The future ITP, under the umbrella of the Ministry of National Defense, will focus on carrying out, promoting and coordinating research, development and communication activities. It will also carry out technology and innovation transfer; specialized technological and technical assistance; and technology dissemination and the generation of information to support public and private decision-making.
The results of this competition were announced at the end of 2023, and the organization selected to create the ITP was Know Hub Chile.
ITPs aim to drive the creation and strengthening of scientific and technological capabilities for innovation and the provision of public goods. They act as a coordinating body between public and private non-profit institutions dedicated to research, development, technology transfer, technical assistance, technology dissemination and the generation of research. They also support regulation and public policy, facilitating the exchange of information and best practices.
Promoting dual innovation
On January 16, 2024, the Senate’s National Defense Committee invited Know Hub Chile to present before the Senate as the winner of the competition launched by CORFO to support the design of the Public Technological Institute for Defense Innovation. Also taking part were Undersecretary of National Defense Ricardo Montero and Yerko Benavides, head of the Technological Development and Industry Division of the Undersecretariat of National Defense.
Javier Ramírez, executive director of Know Hub Chile, stresses that the design of the Public Technological Institute for Defense Innovation project is geared toward promoting dual innovation, using defense as an engine of the country’s scientific, technological and industrial development. “This is a project funded by CORFO and mandated by the Ministry of National Defense, with the collaboration of the three branches of the Armed Forces and the Strategic Defense Companies and their subsidiaries, as well as numerous institutions of the national CTCI ecosystem”, he notes.
Developing this institution is a major undertaking of great importance for the country. That is why Ramírez acknowledges that it is “the project with the greatest potential impact that I have worked on in my professional career”. Indeed, this new institution could contribute decisively to systematic collaboration between defense and the national CTCI ecosystem and, in doing so, he argues, “help our country take a qualitative leap in key aspects of its development, such as significantly increasing the share of investment in R&D&I, making our productive matrix more sophisticated and diverse and, of course, contributing to our strategic independence”.
What will the Defense Innovation ITP do? Defining the ITP’s functions and powers is precisely the goal of the project awarded to Know Hub Chile, along with identifying how to achieve systematic linkage and collaboration between Chile’s industrial and military capabilities and its CTCI ecosystem.
Know Hub Chile’s presentation at the Senate:
https://tv.senado.cl/tvsenado/comisiones/permanentes/defensa/comision-de-defensa-nacional/2024-01-15/163300.html
