Mission:

Development and promotion of scientific research relating mainly to the natural resources of the country.

Objectives:

* Promotion of applied research, by means of the development of processes and products rendering scientific services in the scope of the natural resources, searching for a high socioeconomic impact.

* To promote the creation of strategic alliances between organizations of research and development, national as well as international, and other public or private organizations, searching for the most efficiency in the projects that are developed.

* The diffusion in the national community of the advances that science and technology have generated the country.

Main Activities:

The core purpose of our foundation is to foster scientific and technological innovation, focused on the natural resources area, thus supporting the development of Chile. The structural organization of the foundation has been designed based on the experience of leading countries in technological innovation, and considering a working methodology that enables to oversee projects through marketing and technical-economic committees and units in charge of activities’ coordination.

One of the main strategies in order to fulfill our purpose has been the joint work between universities and the private sector, in order to foster R&D and the commercialization of scientific discoveries and innovations. Up to this moment, we have carried out eight bids where 52 projects have been selected and which have been or are currently being financed.

Fundación Copec-Universidad Católica also acts as a technological antenna, for which it holds international seminars, workshops and sector meetings, in order to disseminate scientific and commercial innovation in the field of natural resources. In these activities renowned scientists have participated: Michael Hood, CEO Cooperative Research Centre for Mining, Australia; Jim Hardie, CEO Cooperative Research Centre for Viticulture, Australia; Jorma Routti, Executive Chairman CIM Creative Industries Management Ltd., Finland; Paul McGilvary, CEO Hortresearch, New Zealand; Jane Lubcheco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, United States; Luisa Marelli, Action Leader of the “Biofuels Thematic Programme” at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Italia; Luis Cortes, Bioenergy Coordinator State of Sao Paulo Research Foundation, Brasil; Andrea Petroni, Executive Director J.P.Morgan Latin America Investment Banking, United States and Shimon Tal, former Water Commissioner of Israel, among others.