We are pleased to share the highlights of this first half of 2013 in the context of our Government’s call for “the Year of Innovation». It may seem paradoxical to frame it within a single year, since innovation is a response to most of the challenges we face every day. But, surely, this invitation to look at Chile from a different perspective during 2013 -that is, as a country that aspires and has the conviction of becoming a developed country during the next decade- not only excites and moves us, but has brought about several high-impact initiatives that contribute directly to this purpose.
These initiatives fully reflect what we want to transmit as a organization: to be a do tank; connect with other participants through open innovation; put our role of honest broker, our expertise and our national and international networks at the service of high impact challenges and opportunities; and, above all, transmit and spread to others our motivation and dreams of transforming our country into an innovation hub for the region.
The portfolio of initiatives is diverse mainly because it addresses several relevant issues for our country, such as combining growth/competitiveness and becoming more sustainable (in terms of energy, water, environmental pollution, etc.); producing healthier foods and changing habits that affect childhood obesity; incorporating innovation in the classroom in order to make it more effective for each student; having better prepared human resources in key sectors of our economy; incorporating information technologies to improve productivity, among others.
To share just some of the results obtained during this first semester, we can highlight certain events that brought together a significant number of national and international attendees, such as ICSEI in the area of education; Water Week in the area of water resources, or CESCO in Human Capital for the mining industry.
Also, several initiatives have attracted international players and promoted Chile as a regional hub: the purchase of Solar Chile by First Solar, the investment by Eurofins in GCL; the arrival of Nokia’s MLab (in FCh’s facilities) or the creation of the sustainability consortium with Walmart’s support.
Through a series of thematic calls, our Emprende FCh Platform has attracted in less than a year more than 1,000 entrepreneurs in less an a year, both local and international.
Finally, we have developed emblematic initiatives in relation to leadership and the promotion of a different culture of innovation, such as Jugados al 100 por Chile or Rómpela.
All these initiatives seek to push the limits of what is possible, with the sole purpose of consolidating a new Chile, a Chile closer to development, which grows sustainably, and that possesses a culture that tackles global challenges without fear, through innovation, creativity and the energy of its people.
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