The central theme of the event was scientific research as a driver of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. This seeks to make visible and position the contributions made by the State universities on issues related to sustainability, in addition to promoting inter-institutional collaboration.

The University of La Serena hosted the Macro North Zone Meeting of the Commitment to Sustainable Development Network, made up of 13 higher education entities belonging to this Plan to Strengthen the State Universities of Chile (CUECH).

The objective of the activity - in which the University of Playa Ancha and the University of Valparaíso also participated - was to make available the knowledge on R&D&I&E matters generated from the university to the community, emphasizing the advances progressive, as well as the challenges in the area that, as a result, in this case, contribute to the development of the Coquimbo Region.

The meeting - which included various exhibitions, workshops and spaces for dialogue - was inaugurated by the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Luperfina Rojas Escobar, who pointed out that “sustainability is a fundamental pillar in the mission of universities” and that, through these types of instances “the commitment to the generation of knowledge is reaffirmed, as they contribute significantly to the sustainable development of the region and the country as a whole.”

She also stated that she was convinced that the exchange of knowledge, the creation of synergies and the construction of strategic alliances will enhance the individual capabilities of the students and the ULS to face challenges more effectively.

For his part, the general coordinator of the CUECH Project, David Blanco, stressed that the strengthening of Chilean state universities towards sustainable development must be through management, linkage, generation of knowledge and training of agents of change, to respond to the socio-environmental and territorial needs of the educational community and its environment.

“We want to enhance the transformative role of the public university by creating instances of synergy that energize its processes at the regional and national level. We are aware that there are gaps associated with the lack of researchers dedicated to R&D, students linked to innovation and the lack of understanding of scientific and technological bases, so we will approach this perspective from a systemic and multidimensional level to achieve impact in a jointly and in each of the universities,” he pointed out.

While for Yenny Olivares, UMAS manager of the University of Valparaíso, she maintained that factors such as climate change and alterations in the environment produced precisely in the Valparaíso Region have affected and generated a significant loss of biodiversity, so the meeting was a fundamental instance to show the contribution they have been making as a higher education institution for decades regarding research and studies in the field of sustainability and especially the conservation of biodiversity.