16 July 2024 – Life scientists in Chile have benefited from a cooperation agreement between EMBC/EMBO and the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) of Chile since 2018. EMBO Director Fiona Watt visited Santiago de Chile from 24-25 June 2024 to strengthen the cooperation further and to learn about Chile’s priorities and how they might affect the partnership.
She had discussions with Gonzalo Arenas Sepúlveda, head of international affairs, and further representatives of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation. Watt also talked to Alejandra Pizarro Guerrero, director of ANID; Andrea Cibotti Ortiz, head of the liaison and networking department; and Sharapiya Kakimova, head of the internationalization unit; and their teams. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she met Hellmut Lagos Koller, director of the division of science, energy, education, innovation, and astronomy, and his team.
Furthermore, she spoke to vice presidents of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and the University of Chile, and to representatives of the Chilean Society of Microbiology, Chilean Bioinformatics Society, Developmental Biology Society, Chilean Society for Cell Biology, Society of Immunology, Chilean Society of Plant Biologists, as well as the Society of Genetics and Genomics of Chile.
To get to know the needs of life scientists in Chile better and to increase awareness of the EMBO Programmes and activities, Watt also had conversations with members of the EMBO communities and the broader life sciences community in Chile.
“Being part of EMBO has significantly boosted my scientific career. Since becoming an EMBO Global Investigator in 2020, I have gained access to a multitude of opportunities aimed at fostering collaborative and impactful research. This association with EMBO has effectively bridged my laboratory from Chile with renowned researchers from across Europe, resulting in fruitful collaborations,” says Maria Isabel Yuseff, EMBO Global Investigator and associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Watt talked to the EMBO Associate Members Christian Gonzalez-Billault, vice president of research and development at University of Chile; and Miguel Concha, professor and research group leader at University of Chile; the EMBO Global Investigators Cesar Ramirez-Sarmiento, associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Francisco Cubillos, associate researcher at the Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology; and Maria Isabel Yuseff; and the EMBO Scientific Exchange Grantee Kateryn Pino, PhD candidate at Universidad de Concepción. María José Perez Jimenez, EMBO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Imagine Institute for Genetic Diseases in Paris, France, represented the Chilean life sciences community abroad and presented remotely.
Two well-received events, at the University of Chile and at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, included presentations about EMBO funding opportunities for researchers in Chile by Watt as well as scientific presentations by members of the EMBO communities.