Universidad Arturo Prat and Know Hub Chile conclude collaboration to strengthen innovation and technology transfer in Tarapacá

The initiative, led by Innova UNAP and Know Hub Chile together with Teck Resources, concluded after months of training researchers and conducting technical assessments in university laboratories.

Universidad Arturo Prat (UNAP) has concluded a program to strengthen institutional capacity in innovation and technology transfer, developed in collaboration with Know Hub Chile and Innova UNAP, and funded by Teck Resources. The initiative helped identify scientific developments with potential applications, assess their stage of development, and guide their next steps using technology management and planning tools, while also strengthening the skills of university researchers and professionals.

The program, led by UNAP’s General Directorate of Innovation through its Office of Innovation, Development and Technology Transfer (OIDET), included three complementary workstreams: technology scouting, through interviews with researchers to identify developments with transfer potential; technology assessment and prioritization, including the preparation of technical briefs and roadmaps to guide their progress; and specialized training in innovation and technology transfer.

The process involved Óscar Astudillo, Know Hub Chile’s Director of New Projects, and Rosana Velasco, the organization’s Innovation Manager. Both specialists supported the academic community in identifying and assessing their developments, drawing on their experience in technology portfolio management, analysis of application opportunities, and planning strategies to advance the transfer of research results.

Technology scouting and strengthening the university portfolio

One of the program’s key stages was a technology scouting process at Universidad Arturo Prat, carried out jointly by the Know Hub Chile team and OIDET, part of the General Directorate of Innovation.

The work involved meetings with university researchers to learn about their research areas, identify technology developments, and gather information on their stage of progress, potential applications, and transfer potential.

Based on the information gathered, the Know Hub Chile team drew on its experience and specialized methodologies to assess and prioritize technologies, considering factors such as their technology readiness level, intellectual property, and market potential.

The process identified a portfolio of technologies with prospects for development and transfer, providing a basis for further assessing those with the greatest potential and guiding the creation of technology roadmaps.

These roadmaps aim to establish the key milestones, requirements, and actions needed to advance toward future stages of validation, scaling, and transfer, helping to connect the university’s research results with application opportunities in industry and society.

Universities have scientific capabilities and technology developments that can address specific needs in their communities, but moving toward application requires identifying their potential, assessing their maturity level, and defining a development strategy, notes Oscar Astudillo, Director of New Projects at Know Hub Chile: “This work with Universidad Arturo Prat helped move that process forward by providing tools to prioritize technologies and develop roadmaps to guide their next steps toward validation and potential transfer. This kind of collaboration helps bring research closer to opportunities for economic and social development”.

Specialized training in technology transfer

As part of the collaboration, a training program was delivered for researchers and the General Directorate of Innovation team, with virtual sessions focused on strengthening knowledge and tools for managing research results.

Topics covered included intellectual property, technology information searches, technology readiness level (TRL) assessment, identifying market opportunities, user discovery, and technology prioritization.

These sessions helped strengthen institutional capacity to identify, assess, and advance science and technology developments, supporting their future engagement with the wider community.

The closing event included the masterclass “From the Lab to Impact”, held at Universidad Arturo Prat, which brought together researchers, academics, students involved in R&D initiatives, and institutional and regional representatives.

The event addressed the main challenges and opportunities involved in turning research results into valuable solutions, highlighting the importance of intellectual property, technology transfer mechanisms, and collaboration between academia and different sectors.

Rosana Velasco, Innovation Manager at Know Hub Chile, says that one of the most valuable aspects of this process was working directly with researchers at Universidad Arturo Prat. “Through the interviews and training sessions, we were able to learn about their developments, identify opportunities, and explore tools for assessing the potential to take research results beyond the lab. Strengthening this knowledge within the university is essential so its teams can recognize the potential of their technologies, understand the challenges involved in transferring them, and have more tools to move forward,” she says.

A collaboration to advance research toward application

The work carried out by Universidad Arturo Prat and Know Hub Chile represents progress in strengthening institutional capacity to manage and advance research results by combining early technology identification with assessment, planning, and transfer tools.

The collaboration connected knowledge generated by UNAP researchers with Know Hub Chile’s specialized expertise, laying the groundwork for continued technological development and exploration of future opportunities to engage with industry and social sectors.

The initiative was supported by Teck Resources, whose contribution helped advance this effort to strengthen innovation and technology transfer capacity in the Tarapacá Region.