The international impact of the research is highlighted, which mainly corresponds to topics of regional interest, such as biology of arid zones, astronomy, mining, water resources, physics, energy and sustainability.

During recent years, the University of La Serena has maintained a sustained increase in the number of publications. And, also in the quality and importance of its research, and also in the relevance of its results for regional and national development.

Numerous rankings and measurements highlight the ULS for the number and impact of its publications in the international scientific community and the percentage of works that are published in the journals of the first quartile (Q1), corresponding to those of greatest relevance.

Research that focuses mainly on topics of regional interest, such as biology of arid zones, astronomy, mining, water resources, physics, energy and sustainability.

According to the Incites database, the University of La Serena was positioned in 2023, for the second consecutive year, in first place nationally in the percentage of articles published in Q1 magazines. That is, 67,52% of the publications of ULS researchers correspond to top-level scientific journals.

Along these lines, as of December 2023, the count of publications in the Web of Science and Wos Incites database showed that the institution published 244 articles in Wos, 312 in Scopus, and 9 in Scielo. Compared to the year 2022, an increase in publications was observed in the three indexes.

The Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Héctor Cuevas Larenas, explained that the ULS develops a quality policy in which scientists who carry out highly complex studies play a fundamental role. "Research has a great impact among scientists internationally. We maintain a firm commitment to excellence and innovation, through a solid investment in research and development. Our multidisciplinary teams manage to identify and address the critical needs of the territory, consolidating ourselves as a undisputed benchmark in the generation of cutting-edge solutions," he stated.

For Dr. Pablo Álvarez Latorre, academic and director of the Laboratory for Prospecting, Monitoring and Modeling of Agricultural and Environmental Resources (PROMMRA) of the University of La Serena, details that the relevance of the articulation between the academy and the needs of the territory, lies in the relevance of the solutions proposed. "An arid region has specificity within its needs, given that water demand always exceeds supply. So, solutions have to adapt to this permanent deficit condition and, therefore, the study of surface, underground, and atmospheric waters , in their particularities and their magnitudes are very important. And that is done by local institutions, in the end, who manage to reach a level of detail and specificity that allows solutions to be adapted to the requirements of the territory and not have national solutions. or international organizations that enter forcefully to solve territorial problems".

While for Dr. Amelia Ramírez, academic and director of the Department of Astronomy at the ULS, the indicators of the institution's publications are the result of an ecosystem that has been strengthened around research. “We have Postdocs who bring external funding to work alongside our experts in galaxy simulation, interaction, observation and modeling. Applicants from Chile and other countries to our postgraduate courses, given that they know that there are researchers here who lead or belong to international projects, for example, related to the study of star formation environments, or impact in related areas such as instrumentation or Light pollution. It is a chain effect that makes the action of each ULS astronomer have great potential, doing highly cited and validated research as a global wealth of knowledge.”

Indicators

This is complemented by the awarding of 8 new projects to the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, Fondecyt, initiatives that add to the long list of research that the University of La Serena has. 5 projects awarded in the Regular Fondecyt contest, 2 in Initiation Fondecyt, and 1 Postgraduate Fondecyt, which seek to be an important contribution in terms of research with social impact and contribution to improving people's quality of life.

Among the achievements of the ULS in terms of Research and Postgraduate Studies, is the creation of the Office of Creation and Innovation that will enhance the results of the research developed by scientists from the house of higher education.

The new Unit, which is attached to the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, seeks to support the implementation of institutional mechanisms, criteria and quality standards in terms of creation and innovation, to provide additional value to institutionally generated knowledge.

Another important milestone for the link between research and development results and the needs of the territory is the registration of the University of La Serena, through an exempt Resolution of innova chile CORFO, in the Registry of Centers for Carrying out Research Activities or Development of Law No. 20.241.

This action will allow companies to access a tax benefit when contracting R&D services from the University of La Serena, so our institution will become an attractive provider in our territory, promoting companies to seek optimizations to their production processes without having to look for alternatives in the capital of our country or abroad.

And for greater knowledge and understanding by citizens of the evolution of scientific research and the formation of advanced human capital, the ULS has strengthened its Knowledge Dissemination area, to share the knowledge generated by the university.

"We have assumed the challenge of permanently complementing our work in the generation of knowledge under the paradigm where innovation and creation play a relevant and complementary role to traditional scientific production based on articles from high-impact indexed journals. Changes that seek to allow the institution to contribute more effectively and pertinently to the country's competitiveness challenges," concluded the Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies of the ULS.