The meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of Science, the National Space Center, SERNAGEOMIN and the ANID CEDENNA Center to share capabilities and advance the coordination of stakeholders linked to the development of materials for quantum technologies in Chile
The Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation promoted the establishment of the first Quantum Materials Roundtable, held on Friday, September 25, with the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, CEDENNA, as host. The meeting brought together representatives of the public and academic sectors with the aim of sharing capabilities, experiences and perspectives to strengthen national coordination around the development of materials for quantum technologies and other frontier technological areas. The activity took place at Universidad Diego Portales and was attended by the Undersecretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Carolina Rossi; representatives of MinCiencia’s Emerging Technologies Division; the National Space Center (CEN); the National Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN); and CEDENNA researchers. From its preparation, the meeting was conceived as a collaboration between CEDENNA and MinCiencia’s Emerging Technologies Division, aimed at connecting national capabilities and analyzing how they can contribute to the technological challenges facing the country. The program included institutional presentations, a panel discussion and a visit to CEDENNA’s laboratories. MinCiencia highlighted the establishment of the roundtable as a space that makes it possible to bring together, around a single challenge, knowledge of resources, scientific capabilities, strategic demand and public policy. The director of CEDENNA, Dr. Dora Altbir, praised the initiative and the opportunity to bring together complementary capabilities. “I think it is an excellent initiative by the Ministry. I am very happy to have taken part in this roundtable, in which each of the members was able to share our capabilities and experiences, in order to generate the synergies needed to contribute to the development of materials for quantum technologies and, in general, of highly beneficial materials for our country”, she said. CEDENNA was also represented by researchers from the Center, including Miguel Kiwi (2007 National Prize for Exact Sciences), Simón Oyarzún, Francisco Muñoz, Francisco Albarrán, Felipe Valencia and Juliano Denardín.
Complementary capabilities
The meeting allowed each of the participating institutions to present its area of work and analyze possible points of convergence. The director of the Chilean Air Force’s National Space Center, Colonel Miguel Barría, highlighted the complementarity he observed between the capabilities available at CEDENNA and the work carried out by the CEN. “Today we got to know all the capabilities they have here, which left us very impressed. It is very important because it complements the work we are doing as the National Space Center to develop technology for the country, with local knowledge, people and capabilities”, he said. The CEN has capabilities in research, innovation and technological development linked to the space field and maintains ties with academia, industry and the public sector to foster collaboration and technology transfer. For his part, Braulio Águila, project geologist at the Mineral Resources Unit of SERNAGEOMIN’s National Geology Subdirectorate, highlighted the contribution the institution can make based on the geological knowledge available in the country. “I think this was a very important opportunity, in which great use was made of what SERNAGEOMIN can offer as an institution regarding the geological potential of critical minerals in Chile. Our institution has a lot of publicly available information that can be used by the different institutions involved in this activity”, he said. The meeting thus brought together knowledge and capabilities from different fields, from information on mineral resources to scientific research, technological development and the needs associated with new applications.
CEDENNA as a meeting place
As host of the meeting, CEDENNA presented an overview of its history and capabilities in nanoscience, nanotechnology and materials. The Center currently brings together 57 researchers from 17 Chilean universities and carries out research, human capital training, technology transfer and collaboration with public and private institutions. CEDENNA is an Applied Research Center funded by the National Research and Development Agency (ANID). The Center’s participation in this initiative is also linked to capabilities it has been developing in modeling, simulation and the study of materials, as well as its experience in training and collaboration in quantum technologies. After the presentations and the panel discussion, Undersecretary Carolina Rossi and the representatives of the participating institutions toured CEDENNA’s laboratories, where they were able to see part of the infrastructure and research work carried out by the Center. The first Quantum Materials Roundtable thus opens a space for coordination between institutions with complementary capabilities, with the aim of strengthening collaboration and contributing, from the knowledge and capabilities available in Chile, to the development of quantum technologies and other strategic areas for the country.
