Chile and the European Union renew Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement

Last Thursday, December 2, the IX Meeting of the Joint Steering Committee of the Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the European Union and Chile was held.

On the occasion, the parties highlighted the forthcoming renewal of this agreement that will extend for five years, starting in 2022, in addition to presenting the main advances in research and development policies and programs.

The Committee addressed areas of future cooperation, highlighting, in terms of sustainability, the initiatives of the Natural Laboratories and the Climate Change Observatory of Chile; in health, joint work at the multilateral level; in renewable energies, the work on the Green Hydrogen mission of the Mission Innovation initiative; in advanced human capital and support for cutting-edge research, the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC) programs. In addition, they stressed the importance of promoting principles such as open science and the incorporation of gender policies in science and technology.

The parties highlighted the importance of bilateral cooperation in research and innovation, which has made it possible to advance jointly in the objectives of ecological transition and digitization, along with strengthening the response to emerging challenges, such as the one posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting was co-chaired by the National Director of the National Research and Development Agency (ANID), Aisén Etcheverry, and the Director of Global Approach and International Cooperation of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, María Cristina Russo. In addition, it had the participation of the Director of Energy, Science and Technology and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alex Wetzig, and representatives of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, its associated agency, ANID, and the Ministry of Energy.