The ACE in Chile

The 12th Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) will take place in Santiago de Chile, Chile, from Sunday, Sunday October to Thursday October 10, 2019.

Convening Institutions

The ACE 12 is organized by the University for Development of Chile (UDD), the Corporation for the Promotion of Production (CORFO) of the Ministry of Economy of Chile;, and the Organization of American States (OAS) as the RIAC Technical Secretariat.

The organizers thank the support from the Ministry of Production and Labor from Argentina as RIAC Chair Pro Temper and the Government of the United States (U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of State) as the ACE program cofounders.

 

 

ACE Objectives

The ACE general objectives are the following:

  • Enhance the capacity of countries and institutions that support the design and implementation of policies and programs that encourage productivity, entrepreneurship, innovation, and internationalization of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), as well as cooperatives and other production units.
  • Increase regional cooperation, the exchange of knowledge, the transfer of technology on mutually agreed terms, and inter-sectoral collaboration among and within countries in the areas of competitiveness, productivity, and innovation.
  • Increase cooperation for strengthening countries’ institutional capacities on incorporating innovation and transformative technology to create added value and diversification in their economies sustainably and inclusively.

     

     

    Some of the specific objectives of ACE 12 are to:

    • Showcase initiatives that emerged in Chile on digital transformation to increase productivity, modernization, and growth of national industry.
    • Familiarize participants with investment and export opportunities in Chile
    • Provide ample opportunities for participants to engage with top local actors of the innovation ecosystem that are leading the digital transformation in Chile.

    Some Data

    Chile is a country with a population of 18.5 million inhabitants and a successful economic development. Its commercial policies and practices has fostered a competitive and open economy oriented towards free market.

    One of the most important Chilean assets are the touristic destinations, having been acknowledged as World Leader Adventure Tourism Destination 2018 by World Travel Awards. Chile’s economy is mainly based on natural resources, and is well-known for its copper mining industry, agriculture, and aquiculture. Moreover, Chile has diversified its economy and has built a robust innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and a vibrant entrepreneurship culture, focused on the digital economy and new technologies to increase competitiveness.

    The Chilean government, academy, and private sector are advancing a cultural change in the people and institutions that is boosting opportunities to increase productiveness, modernization and national industry through information technologies, communication and digitization.

    For instance, Startup Chile is a business accelerator ranked among the world’s top 10 by the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIM). To prepare the workforce for the future, Chile has also developed word famous academic institutions and promoted STEM programs to support universities in creating courses to boost innovation, entrepreneurship, and applied research. Promoting technology transfer is key for Chile’s R&D+i strategy, and thus, the government has create more than 25 Offices of Transfer and Licensing, 3 technology transfer hubs, incubators, co-working spaces, mentorship networks, and incentives to risk capital investments. Moreover, during 2019 CORFO will create four new technology institutes in the fields of lithium, advanced manufacturing, astrodata, and smart agro.