The Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, Aisén Etcheverry Escudero, highlighted the cluster of technology companies that has been generated in Ñuble, during her visit to the region, whose agenda included the meeting of the “cabinet for growth and employment.” , in a regional version that had the participation of the Minister of Public Works and the Undersecretary of Energy; an appointment with companies and startups, a meeting with the authorities of the universities of Concepción, Bío-Bío and UCSC; and a tour of the facilities of Kimun Biotec, a scientific-technological based SME that produces infusions and functional foods based on scientific research, where he shared with entrepreneurs in the biotechnology field.
“It was a series of very good meetings that left me very excited regarding what is happening in the region,” she said at the end of her visit.
“When we were with companies,” he continued, “such as Ferrero, Bimbo, construction and solar energy companies; It is very impressive to see how they are incorporating research and development processes and improving technologies, which speaks of a business sector committed to innovation and R&D, which is precisely what allows for faster economic growth.”
Scientific-technological based ventures
Etcheverry highlighted the level of scientific-technological-based enterprises in the region. “There is a lot of scientific development, a thriving industry with companies that are already having sales, that have ambitious plans and that are very committed to doing so from the region and promoting Ñuble as a pole of biotechnological development linked to the world of agriculture, which we believe can be very relevant and that connects very well with the initiatives that we are promoting from the Ministry. Legislative initiatives, such as the Technology Transfer Law; subsidy, such as the Startup Ciencia program; coordination, such as the Catalysis program; That’s why I return happy, I had the opportunity to see the ecosystem as a whole, working in coordination to advance this development that we all want.”
He stated, however, that “we need to make the regional entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem grow more. We need these initiatives that are a reality today to multiply, for more entrepreneurs to dare to innovate, for more biotechnology companies to deepen this coordination that they already have today, have plans to consolidate it, which is very good news; and that universities can continue on their path of development.”
“I think there is a good path laid out. We have to, in some points that we know are complex, accelerate the processing processes, the approval of permits, and the initiatives of the Ministry of Economy in that direction are very well underway; and continue to go deeper, here the development of the territory is the result of good coordination of the public sector, academia and the private sector. As I see it in different regions, I think that social capital, that trust is present,” said the minister.
Biotechnology hub
Along these lines, he highlighted the biotechnology hub that is being configured in the region. “Biotechnology hubs like what I found here, at least I have not seen in other regions. So, clearly, there is potential there that is interesting,” he expressed.
“It is a community that knows each other and that has been collaborating from the beginning,” he added. “If I had to highlight something, it would be social capital, which is this trust that exists between the different actors, academia, industries, private sectors, which is essential to achieve scientific and technological development, that there is trust and collaborative work and this that today are doing together with the region is a tremendous starting point that predicts very good results,” Etcheverry said.
From his visit to Kimun Biotec, he highlighted that “they told us how they are helping each other, how they share equipment, how they address agricultural challenges together and how they have this collaborative view for the region and return value to the region, to the inhabitants of the region that I think is fantastic and that, in addition, accompanied by an energy to make it grow, I think is very remarkable.”
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