At an event organised by BritCham Chile’s Technology, Innovation and Science Committee, the Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation outlined the Government’s priorities for strengthening Chile’s productivity and technological capabilities, highlighting artificial intelligence, technology transfer, regional development, talent and international cooperation. She also identified concrete opportunities for collaboration between Chile and the United Kingdom in supercomputing, astronomy, Antarctic research and technological development.

Santiago, 19 August 2026. Transforming Chile’s scientific and technological capabilities into productivity, innovation, new businesses and opportunities for economic development is one of the principal objectives of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation’s 2026–2030 roadmap.

This was the message delivered by Ximena Lincolao, Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, during a discussion organised by the Technology, Innovation and Science Committee of the Chilean-British Chamber of Commerce, BritCham Chile. The event brought together representatives from business, academia and the innovation ecosystem to discuss the Government’s priorities and opportunities for cooperation between Chile and the United Kingdom.

The discussion was moderated by Joanna Pérez, Chair of BritCham Chile’s Technology, Innovation and Science Committee, and was attended by Gustavo Vieira, Vice-Chair of the Committee and Global Chief Information Officer at CMPC; Francisco Medina, Technical Secretary of the Committee and Director of GTQ; Ricardo Garib, Vice-Chair of BritCham Chile and Director of Vulco S.A.; and Elle Denton, Executive Director of BritCham Chile, alongside representatives from member companies, academic institutions and organisations involved in the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.

The discussion covered artificial intelligence, technology transfer, CERN, human capital development, supercomputing, astronomy, regional development, entrepreneurship, scientific infrastructure, and the opportunities offered by Magallanes and Antarctica for international cooperation.

Six pillars to establish clear priorities

During the event, the Minister explained that the Ministry’s strategy seeks to establish clear priorities and concentrate public resources in areas where there is both an urgent need to act and concrete opportunities for the country.

The roadmap is structured around six pillars: management; artificial intelligence; technology transfer; regional innovation engines; a comprehensive science, technology, knowledge and innovation policy; and the future of work and talent.

Management is a particularly important component, given the Ministry’s significant role in financing research and development in Chile and the need to improve processes related to funding, reporting and services provided to universities and beneficiary institutions.

“The six pillars organise our work in a focused manner,” the Minister said, emphasising that the objective is to clearly determine where opportunities exist and where the country’s needs require more urgent action.

CERN: from frontier research to adding value to Chilean copper

One of the key topics was Chile’s incorporation as an Associate Member State of CERN, opening up new possibilities for Chilean researchers, technicians and students to access world-class scientific infrastructure and strengthen national capabilities in areas including physics and quantum technologies.

The Minister stressed that this relationship has not only a scientific dimension but could also create commercial and technology transfer opportunities for Chilean companies.

In particular, she explained that Chile is assessing the possibility of developing a supply chain for high-purity oxygen-free copper (OFC), a material used in advanced scientific infrastructure, drawing on capabilities that already exist in Valparaíso.

“We are now assessing whether we can become a supplier of this oxygen-free copper and move beyond the stagnation of simply selling processed copper without added value,” Lincolao said.

The challenge, she argued, is for Chile to move beyond its position as a producer of natural resources towards an economy capable of developing sophisticated products, knowledge and technological solutions that can participate in international markets.

The challenge of creating a genuine innovation ecosystem

Another central topic was the need to strengthen Chile’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and create the conditions for innovative companies to grow from within the country.

The Minister noted that Chile has approximately 1.2 million one-person microenterprises and argued that the current institutional framework does not adequately distinguish between a traditional microenterprise and a start-up with the potential to scale. This is compounded by approximately another one million business activities that need to progress towards formalisation.

Against this backdrop, she called for the development of genuine “innovation muscle”, enabling start-ups to be institutionally recognised and supported through specific financing instruments, venture capital and conditions that facilitate their growth.

“It is extremely important that here in Chile we create innovation muscle, where a start-up is defined as such and resources are created specifically for start-ups, not only financial resources, but also enabling mechanisms,” she said.

The Minister highlighted Chile’s significant advantages — including copper, lithium, energy resources, astronomical capabilities and access to Antarctica — while stressing that the challenge is to transform these assets into innovation, productivity and economic development.

Talent for Chile’s strategic challenges

Human capital development is another fundamental component of the roadmap.

The Ministry is strengthening its postdoctoral programme, which covers 260 recently graduated PhDs, providing funding for three years and directing some of its priorities towards strategic areas such as climate change, emergencies, mining and energy.

Lincolao defended the need for public investment in human capital to respond to the capabilities that Chile will require in the future.

“Governments have an obligation and a responsibility to take measures to ensure that the country has these capabilities,” she said, highlighting the need to deliberately direct part of the available funding towards strategic areas.

The Minister also stressed that areas such as artificial intelligence and the future of work require a multidisciplinary approach integrating science, technology, the humanities and social sciences, particularly in addressing challenges related to ethics, workforce reskilling, education and the responsible use of emerging technologies.

Space, astronomy and supercomputing

Chile’s astronomical and space capabilities were also identified as strategic assets.

During the discussion, the Minister stated that Chile currently has five satellites in operation and seven additional satellites planned for launch, alongside further agreements under development, creating opportunities in research, observation and space technologies.

This is complemented by Chile’s privileged position in astronomy and the enormous quantities of scientific data generated by observatories located in the north of the country.

According to Lincolao, these capabilities converge with another competitive advantage: the availability of renewable energy. Northern Chile and Magallanes could become strategic locations for supercomputing infrastructure, data centres and artificial intelligence campuses.

“We see a tremendous opportunity in Magallanes and in the north because we have surpluses of sustainable renewable energy,” the Minister said.

The combination of energy, digital infrastructure and high-value scientific data could position Chile as a provider of computing capacity for institutions and countries facing constraints related to space, energy, water or infrastructure.

A concrete opportunity for Chile and the United Kingdom

The Minister devoted a significant part of her remarks to opportunities for deepening scientific and technological cooperation between Chile and the United Kingdom.

These include the possibility of jointly developing data and supercomputing infrastructure linked to astronomy, as well as research projects associated with Magallanes and Antarctica.

In particular, she referred to the Cape Horn Sub-Antarctic Centre in Puerto Williams, whose infrastructure currently has available capacity and could host scientists, universities and international projects.

“We invite the United Kingdom, and we invite entrepreneurs to make use of it; we can establish agreements, whatever is needed,” she said.

Antarctic cooperation represents another significant opportunity. This year, the Ministry will fund a scientific expedition using the Chilean Navy’s new icebreaker, which has capacity to carry up to 70 scientists.

“This is another resource that we can make available through agreements: scientists, students and entrepreneurs can be brought in,” Lincolao said, also highlighting the capabilities of the Chilean Antarctic Institute and the infrastructure available for research.

Businesses as partners in scientific and technological development

The Minister stressed that the private sector must play a central role in this process and highlighted the importance of building an ongoing relationship between Government, businesses, universities and research centres.

“We see business as a partner. If a country does not have jobs, it does not have economic development. And businesses must have a healthy, dialogue-based relationship with Government,” she said.

In this context, she invited BritCham Chile and its member companies to participate in regional initiatives alongside the Ministry, providing opportunities to gain first-hand knowledge of projects, research centres, start-ups and technological developments that could lead to collaboration, investment, acquisition or the testing of new solutions.

BritCham Chile as a platform for deeper bilateral cooperation

At the close of the event, Lincolao highlighted the relationship with the British community and expressed the Ministry’s willingness to work jointly on new initiatives.

“The British Chamber is an extremely important Chamber for us as a Government. We share the same interests and the same values,” the Minister said, reiterating her invitation to deepen cooperation and participate in Ministry delegations visiting different regions of the country.

The event identified a concrete agenda of opportunities for public-private and bilateral collaboration, ranging from artificial intelligence, supercomputing and technology transfer to astronomy, regional development, talent development and Antarctic research.

For BritCham Chile and its Technology, Innovation and Science Committee, these areas represent an opportunity to continue bringing together the public sector, businesses, academia and research centres, strengthening the bridge between Chile and the United Kingdom and connecting both countries’ scientific, technological and business capabilities with projects that contribute to a more innovative, productive and competitive economy.