Science, Technology, and Innovation in Chile

Chile and Canada are two countries who share the challenge of creating and maintaining a vital 'national system of innovation' to serve the needs of their resource-based economies. Chile and Canada also have a rich history of research collaboration, largely fostered by the activities of IDRC. With this in mind, and following a conversation between Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Chilean President Eduardo Frei in 1997, IDRC and the Chilean National Council for Science and Technology (CONICYT) agreed to collaborate in a review of Chile's policies and programs in science and technology. Science, Technology, and Innovation in Chile presents the results of that review. It gives the reader a detailed look into Chilean policies of science and technology, using the 'national system of innovation' as its point of departure. The book proposes mechanisms for better public-sector coordination, reforms of public-sector technology institutes, and policies for training scientists and engineers. It will appeal to government officials and policymakers in science and technology; academics, researchers, professors, and university students in development studies, policy studies, and Latin American studies; public and private businesses involved, or interested in becoming involved, in the Chilean economy; and donor organizations and NGOs active in Chile and throughout Latin America.