The Cluster KIT - Chile

The KIT-Chile Cluster is a network of scientists from KIT and Chilean universities/institutions. Its main objective is the initiation and consolidation of research and scientific network structures and to bridge the gap between science and industry. The general themes of this collaboration include Industrial Ecology, Sustainable Development and Local Economic Growth. This initiative is based on a long-standing active collaboration involving 14 KIT institutes cooperating with 9 Chilean universities.

The cluster emerged from many individual connections between KIT actors and Chilean counterparts in 2015. From that year onwards, workshops were held for the institutionalisation of the cooperation in the KCC (KIT Chile Cluster). These workshops led to the definition of a common theme: ‘Eco-Industrial Development (Resources | Energy | Climate)’.

In 2017, an application was submitted for the IEDE (Institute for Eco-Industrial Development) project of the BMBF, where Chile is considered a Strategic Partner. The objective of IEDE is the creation of multilateral virtual institutes, with a strategic framework for joint, interdisciplinary, international and inter-institutional lines of research. IEDE project partners include the KIT, the Universidad de Concepción, the Universidad de Chile and the Universidad Austral de Chile.

Within the KIT, several institutes and centres participate in the cluster, including the Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM), the Institute for Industrial Production (IIP) and the Institute for Information Management and Marketing (IISM).

The Chilean universities involved are located in cities such as Antofagasta, La Serena, Valparaíso, Santiago, Rancagua, Concepción and Valdivia. Several Chilean research centres located in these cities also participate, such as CEDIM and SERC Chile (Solar Energy Research Center).

A specific project within this collaboration is InAgriLA³ - An International Network for Urban Agriculture in Latin American Arid Areas, with funding of €970,560 from the BMBF. Partners in this project include UTP (Peru) and UdeC (Chile), with cooperation based on a fact-finding mission to Chile and Peru in 2018.

Another important programme is CORFO's international call for proposals for the Chilean Clean Technologies Institute, which offers up to $193,485,024 over 10 years. Applicants include KCC, Fraunhofer Chile and CSIRO (Australia), with cooperation events such as the Matchmaking Event in Antofagasta (March 2019). The aim is to build institutes for solar energy, emission-free mining and new materials for lithium and other minerals.