The initiative, submitted together with Universidad Diego Portales to the Regional Fund for Productivity and Development, seeks to create a portable tool to quickly detect these strategic elements in mineral samples.
Strengthening the capabilities of the Arica y Parinacota Region to learn about and explore its mineral resources is the purpose of a project that CEDENNA and Universidad Diego Portales (UDP) are submitting to the Regional Fund for Productivity and Development (FRPD). As part of its preparation, CEDENNA director Dr. Dora Altbir held a series of meetings in the region to bring together scientific, institutional and productive capabilities around the initiative.
During the visit, she met with the rector of the Universidad de Tarapacá (UTA), Jenniffer Peralta Montecinos, and academics from that university. At the meeting they discussed collaboration opportunities and the possibility of developing new joint projects that respond to the needs and characteristics of the territory.
The agenda also included meetings with representatives of the National Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN) and the Regional Government of Arica y Parinacota, as well as Mauricio Hidalgo, Regional Ministerial Secretary of Mining, and Juan Claudio Mancilla, Regional Ministerial Secretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation. These meetings discussed the scope of the project, the possibilities for coordination between the participating institutions and its potential contribution to the scientific, technological and productive development of the region.
On-site information to support new decisions
The proposal seeks to develop a portable technology capable of quickly detecting rare earth elements in mineral samples. Having such a tool would make it possible to carry out preliminary evaluations directly in the field, guide the selection of samples that require more specialized analysis and provide timely information to support future exploration, investment and productive development decisions.
Rare earths are a group of elements used in various technologies and strategic sectors. Therefore, strengthening the capacity to identify and characterize them is an opportunity to expand knowledge about the mineral resources of Arica y Parinacota and link that knowledge with the region’s scientific, technological and productive development opportunities.
Photo: From left to right, Dora Altbir, director of CEDENNA; Mauricio Hidalgo, Regional Ministerial Secretary of Mining; Juan Claudio Mancilla, Regional Ministerial Secretary of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation of the Arica y Parinacota Region; and Pablo Oliva, representative of SERNAGEOMIN.
