Published 31-10-2012
• more were assigned $6.200 million dollars to conduct research initiatives seeking scientific and technological modeling or small scale prototypes evaluated.
• The program replaces Fondef idea Annual Competition Research and Development Projects, keeping the focus on the relevance of applied research, although considering shorter cycles to achieve results.
With a successful call confirming the interest of researchers to conduct scientific initiatives to improve the quality of life of the population, National Commission for Scientific and Technological, CONICYT, through the IDeA Program (Research and Development Action Research Institutions) Fondef, reported results for the award of the first version of Applied Science Contest, initiative benefiting 55 projects to be, average, amounts up $120 million, of a total of $6.200 million.
This time, Concepción University emerged as the institution that awarded projects, with 12 initiatives (21%), followed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile 11 (20%) and the University of Chile 7 (12,8%). Also, Onsite 47% corresponds to the selected regional projects.
The areas concentrated more of health projects were approved 13 initiatives, Manufacturing with 12 and agriculture with 10.
Executive Director Fondef, Gonzalo Herrera, was very pleased by the reception of Applied Science Contest, as received 372 Applications, far exceeding those obtained by the Competition Annual R & D over the past Fondef 5 years old.
"Our expectations regarding the call for this contest IDeA Program have been met and we expect him to contribute, as it has done since its inception Fondef, to support science and technology initiatives aimed at improving the competitiveness and quality of life of the population ", said the director of Fondef.
The program replaces Fondef idea from this year's Annual Competition traditional R & D Projects, but keeping the focus on the relevance of applied research. Its purpose is to support R & D projects with a strong scientific and consider intermediate results at short, but with the prospect that they may become future products or services in a productive impact, economic and social.
The deadline for implementation of the selected projects is 24 months and the amount subsidized by CONICYT equivalent to 80% the total cost of the initiative.
Some features of Applied Science contest include project evaluation by an expert panel; the online application; shorter submission forms; reduction of time and evaluation forms are simplified and financing items.
"It should also be noted that in this contest are not requested nor economic evaluations contributions of partners, but letters of interest, This opens doors to more involved projects, especially considering that we keep the emphasis on the merit of the project lies in its scientific component ", Gonzalo Herrera explained.
The IDEA program also contemplates the Technological Research Competition, whose first call is scheduled for the first months of 2013. This will support R & D projects aimed at producing and evaluating results in conditions closer to what will be the final implementation.
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