The project will last five years and will be implemented jointly by the Fundación Chile and the VTT Technical center of Finland. “It is a bridge that will allow companies and entrepreneurs from both countries to develop, test, and scale innovations globally,” said the Finnish Ambassador to Chile, Johanna Kotkajärvi.
Chile and Finland announced this Tuesday, August 12, the launch of a partnership aimed at boosting the global leadership of both countries in the development of innovative technological solutions and new businesses focused on sustainable mining, decarbonization and adaptation to climate change, and the sustainability of relevant economic sectors.
The alliance will be actualized through an initiative called the “Chile-Finland Platform for Development and Technological Transfer”, approved by the Council of the Corporation for Production Development (Corfo), during its session on August 4th. The primary goal is to enhance local capacities for the development, adaptation, and scaling of high-impact technologies for decarbonization and adaptation to climate change. It will drive co-creation and co-innovation efforts between companies and strategic production sectors, regional governments, technological transfer centers, and other relevant actors from the Chilean ecosystem, and R&D companies and institutions from Finland, mobilizing talent and promoting scientific-technological base entrepreneurship.
The platform will have an initial duration of five years and will be financed with up to US$20 million by Corfo, through the R&D contribution of lithium contracts, something similar to a “seed capital” to boost its installation and development. The total budget of the project, meanwhile, will exceed US$50 million thanks to the leveraging of resources from the Finnish ecosystem and other national and international financing funds.
Fundación Chile and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
The project Platform will be jointly implemented by Fundación Chile and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which is dependent on the Ministry of Economy and Employment of the Republic of Finland, one of Europe’s leading technological research and development institutions.
The role of both entities will be to accomplish the main objectives of the initiative: to transfer the technical knowledge and experience of Finland to strengthen the R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurship ecosystems in Chile; to advance in sophistication and scaling of Chilean companies and ventures through technological co-development between Finland and Chile; and to increase the exportation from Chile of technological solutions, contributing to position both countries as global suppliers capable of addressing productive, environmental, and social challenges in the value chains of key industries.
During its implementation, the project will advance in three strategic lines: sustainable mining (where ENAMI will act as a key ally), intelligent, sustainable and resilient territorial development, and a systemic approach to high-potential industries for decarbonisation.
The General Manager of Fundación Chile, Hernán Araneda, stated that “this platform marks a before and after for Chile. We are taking on the leadership of this binational network with commitment, reinforcing our purpose of contributing to sustainable economic development. Through this alliance, Fundación Chile will have new technological capabilities to drive the development of science- and technology-based ventures, connecting supply and demand for sophisticated innovation in key areas to address climate change and foster new industries sustainably.”
From the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, its Executive Vice President for Carbon Neutrality, Jussi Manninen, together with the Business Development Manager in the same area, Andro Lindsay, emphasized that “we firmly believe in the power of international collaboration to advance science, technological development, and impactful innovation. To succeed, we must create the right conditions to catalyze companies’ R\&D activities. This public investment from Corfo should spur significant private R\&D investments, combining the strengths of Finland’s technological ecosystem with Chile’s productive potential to co-develop sustainable solutions to shared systemic challenges—solutions that can scale globally while also generating tangible benefits for Chilean society. This platform represents an unprecedented opportunity to connect talent, technology, and vision on a global scale, turning shared challenges into groundbreaking innovations with real and measurable impact.”
Fundación Chile will be the recipient of the R\&D Contribution and, as such, will be primarily responsible before Corfo for enabling the articulation of the ecosystems of both countries, allowing for the participation of business sectors and various relevant public and private stakeholders in the prioritized topics, with a focus on the later stages of technological development—enhancing and bringing solutions to different industries, working closely with demand and the real challenges of the various sectors.