Building Bridges for Collaboration on Research and Academic Exchange
The second version of this event, held from June 16 to 18 in Berlin, aims to connect researchers from Chile and Germany in key areas, such as climate change, livable cities, artificial intelligence and democracy, among others; to work together on projects and publications; to encourage participation from PhD students; and to foster the student exchanges.
photo_camera A total of 117 attendants from seven universities took part in the second version of the Chile-Germany Forum in Berlin. (Photo credit: German Universities Group)
The Chile-Germany Forum is a platform that gathers major universities from both countries and is very new. It was created in 2023, in an effort to strengthen international academic cooperation between institutions of higher education in Chile and Germany. It seeks to promote joint work for science-driven innovation and broaden opportunities for academic development for younger researchers.
Backing its creation are Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile), Universidad de Chile and Universidad de Concepción from Chile, along with Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Universität Hamburg, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) and Universität Heidelberg from Germany.
The first version was held in Santiago in 2023. This year the second version took place in Berlin between June 16 and 18, specifically at TU Berlin, one of the most important technical universities in Germany. A total of 117 attendants, including researchers, university authorities and staff from all seven institutions, participated in this academic forum, where key issues for local and global development were discussed, such as climate change and territorial studies, clean energy, global health, democracy and antiracist education, to mention a few examples.
Among the attendants was Sebastián Vicuña, a professor from the School of Engineering and director of the UC Center for Global Change, who was a member from our University’s delegation, which was comprised of 16 researchers. For him this event was familiar terrain, in a sense, given that he is one of the scientists who saw the creation of the Chile-Germany Forum. He took part in the first initiative led by the German government through the DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service, for its acronym in German), where the need for a more coordinated collaboration space was considered.
“In 2021, we were invited to visit German universities, and this gave us a good idea of how the work is done here and how the university research system is organized. It was very interesting,” Sebastián Vicuña recalled from Berlin. Later, mentioned the professor, the idea of holding the first forum in 2023 was raised, and the academic groups of various universities decided to develop its main themes, such as climate change, energy, and other topics related to medicine.
Participation from UC Chile
Along with the 16 researchers, a group from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies representing UC Chile attended the forum, led by the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, María Angélica Fellenberg; the Research Executive Director, María Elena Boisier; the International Research Assistant Director, Christian Blanco; and the Research Coordinator, Álvaro Etchegaray.
As mentioned by the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, María Angélica Fellenberg, the Chile-Germany Forum represents an academic exchange “of great importance and with great potential. It allows us to connect researchers from Chilean and German universities working in various fields and topics. We expect more collaborative work, involving the implementation of joint research and publication, along with student exchanges.”
The inauguration, held on Monday, June 16, featured the panel “Scientific Diplomacy and Excellence in Research: Collaboration between Chile and Germany,” which discussed topics related to science diplomacy. Participants included Sebastián Vicuña, the only Chilean representative in that roundtable, along with representatives from TU Berlin and the Alexander von Humboldt foundation, among others.
Representatives from German public agencies, such as the DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service), the DFG (German Research Foundation), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space also had a prominent role on that first day. They highlighted the funding opportunities available for Chilean universities through collaboration with German academics, as detailed from Berlin by the Research Executive Director, María Elena Boisier.
“We expect more collaborative work, involving the implementation of joint research and publication, along with student exchanges.” María Angélica Fellenberg, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
Currently, UC Chile has 50 active agreements with Germany: 19 are cooperative agreements, with TU Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, among others; and 31 are mobility agreements, with Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tubingen and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, to mention a few. In this respect, the forum aims to strengthen this international collaboration in research matters.
The Vice President of International Affairs, María Montt, one of the authorities present at the preparation meeting for the Chile-Germany Forum, encouraged all attendants in this second edition to take the opportunity to learn from previous experiences and to obtain in-depth knowledge of the German university ecosystem. She emphasized the value of identifying and applying for research and European funding opportunities in collaboration with German institutions, in areas such as architecture and sustainability.
María Elena Boisier added that these forums “are an instance to deepen or open new areas of collaboration, for national as well as foreign universities. As a basis for this collaboration, doctoral students play a key role, which is why we encourage their participation.”
Working Groups
The Working Groups project started on the first day as well: in total, seven groups of academics gathered to discuss different themes, such as green energy, climate change, migration, livable cities, global health, environments in the AI era, democracy, and antiracist education.
Four groups inherited their topics from the 2023 forum, whereas the other three made new applications, which required a main Chilean researcher along with a German co-researcher. This is a sign of the process of maturing and consolidation of this event, looking towards its third installment in 2027.
Andrew Webb, a professor from the Sociology department, directed the workshop on antiracism in education. “I feel very enthusiastic to be here and work with Aysun Doğmuş, a professor from TU Berlin who is an expert in teaching-and-learning and migration, and I have high expectations about learning about the experiences with antiracism in Germany, the initiatives they have implemented here and, at the same time, to plan future collaborations,” Webb mentioned from the German capital city before setting up the work.
The group on “Global Health and New Biotechnological Developments,” directed by Justo Lorenzo, a professor from Heidelberg University, was attended by the following UC Chile faculty: Eduardo Undurraga, an academic from the School of Public Policy; Bruno Nervi, from the Faculty of Medicine, and Sofiya Gancheva, from the Nutrition program from the same faculty. “There are many expectations to deepen the collaboration we have with this and other German universities,” stated Eduardo Undurraga on the day the forum opened.
This is the second time attending for Caroline Stamm, an academic from the Institute of Urban and Land Studies from the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies, and researcher from the Institute of Sustainable Development, Cedeus (for its acronym in Spanish). “During the first forum, urban planning topics were not very present, which are the areas that interest me the most. In contrast, in this edition, for my area, urban and land planning, there’s a much better focused group,” the professor stated.
Regarding the areas of focus for this year, Caroline Stamm considers it “very important that these meetings are not only for established academics but also offer opportunities for funding and collaborative work for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, which is what we aim to promote. As part of a doctoral program, I’m interested in fostering new collaborations, opportunities for internships, and joint work with international teams. It is highly relevant that we maintain a focus on early-career researchers,” said the academic, who was part of the group “Livable Cities: Resilient Architecture and Urban Development.”
Also participating were Alberto Moletto, Renato D’Alencon and Claudio Vásquez, all from the Faculty of Architecture.
René Rojas, a professor from the Faculty of Chemistry, has a long history of cooperation with Germany. “One of my main goals is to broaden our collaborations. That means bringing more university students or research groups from Germany to work with us here in Chile,” the professor explained.
He was part of the group “Energy, Raw Materials, and Resources for the Green Transition.” “I’m particularly interested in lithium-related issues, energy storage, and new technologies for lithium extraction. We are currently monitoring certain groups in Germany, and we’re keen to connect with them and establish long-term collaboration. I also hope to invite some researchers in the field of lithium extraction to take part in an event we’re organizing for next year,” explained René Rojas, who also had on his agenda a visit to Heidelberg University to hold meetings aimed at strengthening collaborations between the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy and the German university, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Alongside René Rojas participated Mario Vera, a professor at the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, which is part of the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine, and Biological Sciences.
In the group “Thinking ‘Umwelten’ (Environments) in the Age of AI: Planetary Design between Chile and Germany,” UC Chile was represented by Wolfgang Bongers, a scholar of the Faculty of Literature and Linguistics, and Martín Tironi, director of the School of Design. Finally, in the group “Defending Democracy in Times of Crisis,” our university was represented by Matías Bargsted, a professor at the Institute of Sociology.
The work within these groups extended from Monday afternoon to Wednesday morning. “Everyone is developing concrete proposals for collaboration and recognizes the benefits of cooperation between Chilean and German scientists across various topics. There is much to learn from both sides and, therefore, many opportunities. The proposals range from co-authoring articles and applying for available funding to organizing summer schools, workshops… The ways in which the groups envision the next steps are quite diverse, but they all agree on the need for a concrete plan to ensure continuity,” said Sebastián Vicuña from Berlin.
In the climate change and territoriality group, participants included Kay Bergamini, a professor at the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies, and Horacio Gilabert, from the Faculty of Agronomy and Natural Systems. Together with their German colleagues, they began by designing a thematic conceptual framework to explore how different disciplines can contribute to a deeper understanding of this issue.
“We concluded that the best starting point is an ‘international interdisciplinary lab’: a one- to two-week program for graduate students and professionals engaged in climate change issues, structured like a seminar but with extensive discussion and field visits to locations relevant to the Chilean context. If it’s successful and well-supported, we hope to repeat it and promote it as a different way of teaching climate change, based on experience, interdisciplinarity, and international collaboration,” explained Sebastián Vicuña, who also noted that they plan to promote this approach within universities and with the Ministry of Education. “We’re pleased because we’re leaving with a clear agenda,” he added.
The forum concluded with a plenary session, where the coordinators of each working group shared their main findings and projections. The next Chile-Germany Forum will take place in our country in April 2027.
As part of the Chile-Germany Forum, the Vice President for Research, María Angélica Fellenberg, took part in an informal gathering with UC alumni and exchange students in Berlin. The meeting took place at a café near TU Berlin, the host university of the Forum.
With kuchen, coffee, and lemonade, the event brought together over 20 participants, both undergraduate and graduate students, from a wide range of disciplines, especially from the field of architecture. The Research Executive Director, María Elena Boisier, also attended. Some of the alumni, currently living and working in Berlin, shared their experiences.
While the seven working groups of the Chile-Germany Forum carried out their discussions, representatives from UC Chile, Universidad de Chile and Universidad de Concepción took part in visits and meetings as part of a parallel agenda organized by the German hosts.
On Tuesday, June 17, María Angélica Fellenberg, the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at UC Chile; María Elena Boisier, the Research Executive Director at the same university; Yasna Pereira and Ronald Mennickent, Directors of International Affairs and of Research and Artistic Creation at Universidad de Concepción, respectively; and Anahí Urquiza, Director of Innovation at Universidad de Chile, visited the “Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin,” a prestigious scientific research institution. In 2024, this center was also visited by President Gabriel Boric during his official tour of Germany. CORFO has signed a memorandum of understanding with this center for cooperation in the development of lithium applications for batteries and the electrochemical industry, as well as hydrogen-based fuel production. Later, the delegation took part in a guided tour of the historic German Parliament (Bundestag).
On Wednesday, June 18, the delegation took the opportunity to explore avenues for international collaboration with the Free University of Berlin (FU Berlin). There, they were welcomed in the “Golden Hall” of the President office by a group of academics with extensive collaborations and projects in Latin America.
Pablo García, Head of the Education and University Cooperation Area within the Division of Science, Energy, Education, Innovation, and Astronomy at the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was the main representative of the Chilean government at the Chile-Germany Forum. García attended the first two days of the event, June 16 and 17, taking part in the activities of the parallel agenda, as well as in the reception held at the Chilean Embassy in Germany. The reception was led by Ambassador Magdalena Atria and brought together representatives from the seven founding universities of the Forum. The event was also attended by the lead researchers, both Chilean and German, from the Forum’s seven working groups.
