Since Chile's 1990 return to democracy, the relationship between big business and politics has been a defining factor in shaping state policy. Chilean business groups expanded their financial power and political influence through campaign financing, business associations, and the revolving door between public and private sectors.
A critical global public health problem is the rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens. In Chile, this crisis increases patient mortality rates by 42% due to a critical shortage of effective medical treatments.
This crisis, which incurs a significant public health system cost, is being tackled by the Biomaterials Chemistry Laboratory at the Usach Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, where researchers have spent four years designing a clinical dressing to treat chronic infected wounds.
The presentation of the scope and expected results marked the launch event for the Fondef project “Scaling Up the Dynamic Vibration Absorber System Applied to the Mitigation of Noise Induced by Railroad Tracks,” which is being developed by the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach).
Traditionally limited to recreational use or audiovisual recording, drones have now seen widespread adoption across diverse industrial sectors. According to the UAV Drones Market Size 2025 report, this integration is driven by a 49% increase in agricultural applications and a 41% rise in demand for industrial inspections. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are now critical assets, providing access to hazardous environments, reducing personnel risk, and executing high-speed monitoring and exploration tasks.
For over a century, physics studies have sought to decode the fundamental laws governing the universe, from subatomic particles to the vast structures of space-time. Central to this effort is quantum mechanics, which reveals that matter follows non-intuitive rules determining physical phenomena.
With the project “Enhancing biohydrogen production from winery wastewater through dark fermentation using iron-based residues,” Dr. Yeney Lauzurique, from the USACH Department of Chemical Engineering and Bioprocesses, was awarded a prestigious Fondecyt Iniciación 2026 grant. This achievement reinforces the Faculty of Engineering’s leadership in sustainable research and innovative chemical engineering solutions.
While Chile is recognized worldwide for its high production of wine, pisco, and bread, the industry remains heavily reliant on imported yeasts. Thus, it is essential to strengthen scientific and technological capabilities to develop local solutions and reduce dependence on external suppliers.
The University of Santiago de Chile (Usach) is one of only four national institutions selected to lead the 'Usach Futuro 2050' Frontier Plan. This initiative strengthens the university's leadership in public science and its long-term commitment to sustainable development and innovation across Chile.
The National Research and Development Agency (ANID) announced the Scientific Journal Publication Fund 2025 results, a strategic instrument designed to bolster the editorial management, visibility, and consolidation of national academic journals. The fund supports initiatives to optimize editorial workflows, professionalize teams, implement publishing technologies, and scale the scholarly impact of national scientific publications.
The National Research and Development Agency (ANID) promotes the Scientific and Technological Equipment Fund (Fondequip) as a primary financing mechanism for Chile's scientific infrastructure. Through its Major and Medium funding lines, the competition enables universities to acquire or update high-standard equipment. This investment is essential for advancing high-impact research and maintaining competitive laboratories across the country.