NOV. 2, 2022

Science Minister presents the first “Chilean Technology Working Group”

The group involves collaborative work between the state portfolio and three trade associations representing 300 companies. The goal is to turn the Chilean technology industry into a pillar of the country’s development. 

Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Minister Silvia Díaz traveled to the municipality of Quilicura this Wednesday to kick off the “Chilean Technology Working Group”. It will be a space to promote the use, development and manufacture of technology in our country. It will also work to position Chile’s technological capacity in public opinion, so that is becomes a concrete option for the productive needs of the local and international economy. 

The opening of this space for collaboration and coordination was celebrated by the signing of an agreement between 300 companies at the offices of KOLFF, a business dedicated to emergency lighting. María Eugenia Riquelme, general manager of the CHILETEC trade association; Víctor Grimblatt, vice-president of the Asociación de la Industria Eléctrica-Electrónica (Association of the Electrical-Electronic Industry, AIE); and Thierry de Saint Pierre, president of the Asociación Chilena de Empresas de Tecnologías de Información (Chilean Association of Information Technology Companies, ACTI) participated in the event. 

“The start of this working group is a very important milestone. As we have been saying, for the government of President Gabriel Boric the role of private companies is fundamental to taking concrete actions for people’s well-being. All our reflections must be accompanied by real practices, and formalizing our commitment through the Chilean Technology Working Group is a clear example of this. The timeframe of this alliance also allows us enough time to work according to its objectives and contribute to the development of a national industry capable of maintaining a certain level of competitiveness in the region,” Minister Díaz stated. 

This historic agreement between the public and private sectors thus represents a first step in shaping the future and creating better conditions to develop a national industry, recover manufacturing production in Chile and diversify the productive matrix. In addition to an interesting base of human capital, favorable economic conditions and other aspects, we have the opportunity to possess a valuable ecosystem to support the development of Chilean technology. 

“As a country, we have a duty as far as innovation goes. We invest less than 0.4% of our GDP in research, development and innovation (R+D+I), much less than the OECD countries with whom we like to compare ourselves, which invest around 2.4% on average. Innovation in technology and its applications are key aspects for the development of our industry and our country. This has been demonstrated throughout history: those who have not gotten on the transformation bandwagon have fallen by the wayside. We need companies to invest more in innovation in Chile. We need to continue promoting the development and use of technologies at the state, business and entrepreneurial level. There is still a lot to do, and our work aims to ensure that Chilean technology is recognized and used in our country, in order to promote a sustainable and inclusive digital transformation,” explained Thierry de Saint Pierre, president of ACTI. 

Francisco Méndez Sanhueza, president of CHILETEC, commented that “the mere fact of having joined this initiative opens up a space so that together we can promote the technological developments of our partners. We want to create an ecosystem that drives the Chilean technology industry in a process of growth and a virtuous cycle. Together with professionals, companies, academia and the State, we want to generate a strong industry that becomes an important stakeholder in the export process, while promoting the consumption of our technology in Chile. This initiative and this event are an important milestone, a successful first step, where we will work together towards a single objective: to promote the development of technological solutions, where the industry is a crucial part of the chain that connects the growth of the economy and the development of our country.” 

“This new initiative that we are proposing is a great opportunity to highlight the capabilities of the national technology industry. As a sector, working together in association shows that we have everything necessary to grow. Sharing the various success stories of our associates will provide an important shop window to continue positioning ourselves as trade associations and, in particular as the AIE, to continue promoting the electronics, electricity, automation and communications sectors. In this context, I take this opportunity to invite companies and entrepreneurs to join this important initiative,” asserted Eduardo Cordero Homad, president of AIE. 

All the information on the Chilean Technology Working Group, as well as different success stories, is available at www.tecnologiachilena.cl


Source: Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation Ministry.