The University of Concepción and CMPC sign an agreement to add on to the Los Angeles Campus in the Biobío Region of Chile
This collaboration means the university campus – the largest in the Province of Biobío – will have its own innovation center.
The signing ceremony for the donation agreement between UdeC and CMPC was held in the presence of the University of Concepción (UdeC) Director Carlos Saavedra, CMPC Chairman Luis Felipe Gazitúa, CEO Francisco Ruiz-Tagle, and regional Governor Rodrigo Díaz.
This collaboration will finance the necessary measures for the UdeC to design and schedule construction of the addition to the university campus in the city of Los Angeles, Biobío Region, Chile. A key component of the new site is the first building that will function as an innovation center with laboratories for carrying out the campus’ work.
This was highlighted by the UdeC Research and Development Vice-rector Dr. Andrea Rodríguez Tastets. She said, “The idea is to build a center, more specifically a facility with room for innovation and entrepreneurship where we can invite researchers, focus on the university’s work of product generation and transfer, and also pursue innovation and local entrepreneurship.”
Her words were echoed by CMPC Chairman Luis Felipe Gazitúa who said, “The Los Angeles Campus goes to show how important this city is regarding the Biobío Region’s development. This is a deeply forested area that we’ve been a part of for a long time, so our people are from the area, especially Los Angeles, which is important. This is a way to contribute to the development and education of the people who live here and of course those who work with us.”
The new facilities signify the kind of outreach that will have a positive impact on both the university community and the population in general. This was underscored by the UdeC Managing Director of the Los Angeles Campus Dr. Helen Díaz Páez. “We need to provide this innovation center, which will be our first contribution in addition to new degree programs with improved capacities and conditions so that students from all over the province have access to the kind of education the university has always offered,” she said. “We needed a larger space so that this campus can embody the identity of everything that represents us and shows what we stand for; green areas, a park that is an integral part of the community and welcomes all citizens to not only enjoy the space, but also to study and find out what the institution and its spaces can offer,” she added.
Meanwhile, Biobío Region Governor Rodrigo Díaz said, “Los Angeles is the second most significant city in the area after Concepción. This is very innovative and will generate a great deal of development in terms of urban planning and also a growing university. It is clear that this partnership with CMPC is quite visionary because an innovation center is under construction and new economic activities are being sought that can be developed in the 21st century. We must now do things better than before.”
Los Angeles Mayor Esteban Krausse was also at the ceremony and praised this expansion that directly benefits the local community. He said, “The campus has heretofore functioned within a limited space that did not respond to the growth of the university or the district as a whole. We are experiencing the beginning of a great work that will change not only the way we look at the university, but also the way we look at the urban development of the city.”
The donation will be used to fund studies, consultancies and construction, including the preparation of the master plan for the new campus, which is projected to be underway as of the second half of 2023 until the end of 2024.
