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Innovation: Within the University of Talca’s DNA

Not just talking about innovation, but living in and fostering an environment that favors it is the commitment made by the University of Talca, which has internalized this concept from its essence, to the extent that it was the first in Chile to incorporate, over a decade ago, the Competency-Based Education Model, and to also have a Vice Presidency to address the challenges in this field.

Lettuce and tomatoes grown with 20% less water in comparison to traditional methods, blueberries and cherries more resistant to cold weather, and plants more resistant to drought. These are some of the innovations generated by researchers from the University of Talca whose work impacts directly on the socioeconomic development of the country.

Fablab is another one of the innovations at the University. This is an initiative executed with resources from the Regional Innovation Fund for Competitiveness (FIC-R by its acronym in Spanish), which seeks to make available to the community a space for technology and innovation to promote entrepreneurship ideas and SMEs in the area, through different digital manufacturing technologies.

During the visit he made to the Faculty of Engineering to learn about some of the projects executed by its faculty, the Minister of Mining, Baldo Prokuriça, highlighted the potential impact of the innovations created at the University, such as, for example, the manufacturing of tiles made from the rubber of disused tires.

“I leave with an excellent impression of what is being done at the University of Talca. I want to share this initiative so that it can be repeated and, at the same time, encourage them to continue advancing in this idea, that the universities study and put their scientists to think about solving the problems that Chile faces,” emphasized the Secretary of State.

EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION

Such is the importance that UTalca places on this work that is one of the few universities in the country with a Vice Presidency of Innovation and Technology Transfer, especially dedicated to promoting these attributes.

“The challenges that the country faces to improve productivity and achieve integrated and sustainable development are solved, to a large extent, through innovation. Therefore, we adopted this issue as one of the central axes of our work,” said the head of the Vice Presidency, Pablo Villalobos.

The depth of the innovative spirit that characterizes this University permeates even its curricular training to the point that it is a pioneer in Chile in having incorporated, over a decade ago, the Competency-Based Education Model, aimed at developing in its students soft skills highly demanded in all fields of professional activity.

“Through art, UTalca is teaching its students to develop the tools that allow them to face a working world that demands greater capacity to manage interpersonal relationships, teamwork, and social responsibility, among other attributes,” said Paulina Urrutia, actress and academic of the University.

Under this same visionary logic, the institution has opened programs aimed at meeting the needs of an environment that demands multidisciplinary responses. Thus, it became the first university in the country to offer programs in Mechatronics Engineering and Engineering in Video Game Development and Virtual Reality.

“We were the second university in Latin America to open this program, which beyond training our students to participate in the interactive entertainment industry and virtual simulation of real systems, seeks to train professionals capable of incorporating creation as a tool for innovation through product design, modeling, and development, attributes that will allow them to contribute in interdisciplinary teams,” explained the School’s director, Pablo Rojas.

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