The funds from CONICYT's NETWORKS contest, which supports the formation of international networks between research centers, will allow collaborative work between undergraduate and graduate students and academics from the University of La Serena with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

For a decade now, the Coquimbo Region has been affected by a severe drought, causing electricity costs to rise steadily. This is why the Estrella Region has stood out in the country for being a pioneer in the use of renewable energy, due to the optimal geographical conditions it has. Thus, the University of La Serena, through Ineergias, seeks to deliver solutions that are in line with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Under this premise, Dr. Adriana Mera and Dr. Carlos Rodríguez, from the Multidisciplinary Research Institute in Science and Technology, dependent on the Vice-Rector's Office for Research and Postgraduate Studies of the ULS, have developed a study focused on energy generation and decontamination of water and air, also considering the environmental needs of the area. Through research they have managed to be awarded the Support Project for the formation of international networks for researchers in the initial stage of Conicyt.

The awarded funds finance international mobility and dissemination, which will facilitate joint work with UNAM researchers. Thanks to these resources, students and academics will be able to travel in order to strengthen ties and create a Latin American Network that will generate knowledge that in the future will contribute to the resolution of latent problems in Chile and Mexico.

In this sense, Dr. Rodríguez highlighted the development of this collaboration network, stating that “one working alone will not achieve much, that is, the union with this research group from Mexico, which is a little more advanced than us. In terms of equipment, it will strengthen research”, this since they will be able to complement the tools and equipment that each institution has.

In parallel, Dr. Mera also emphasized the importance of this type of research not being limited to the theoretical, pointing out that "it is necessary to go beyond the paper, we must think about how what is worked on in the laboratory can be passed to real life so that it has an impact on the community”, in relation to the development of technologies that use solar radiation to generate energy, can be carried out on a larger scale to solve future problems.

Along with the above, he highlighted his commitment as researchers to try to raise people's awareness: “these projects must not only go hand in hand with regulations, but also educate people so that they know that caring for the environment is important for the environment.” development”, he concluded.