The first Academic Forum Chile – Germany was held in Santiago de Chile from June 12 to 14, 2023. The event marked the beginning of a biennial event series focusing on sustainability topics such as renewable energies, climate change, green transition, and circular economies. Five researchers from KIT actively participated in the event, contributing their expertise to panel discussions, workshops, and presentations.
The Academic Forum Chile – Germany is a new initiative by both countries. It aims to strengthen international academic cooperation between higher education institutions in Chile and Germany, promote joint work for innovation and transfer of technologies, and cooperation between academia, industry, and the government of both countries. The successive versions of the forum will be held periodically and alternately in each country approximately every 18 months. The member universities are the Catholic University of Chile, University of Chile, University of Concepcion, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Berlin, University of Hamburg, and University of Heidelberg.
At the inaugural session, all presidents of the participating universities, the DAAD, DFG, the Chilean ministry of Energy, as well as the German Embassy expressed their support of the forum. The Vice President of KIT, Prof. Dr. Thomas Hirth, delivered a video message that underscored the importance of the forum's theme focusing on sustainability and combating climate change. Professor Hirth emphasized KIT's dedication to advancing sustainable solutions through interdisciplinary research and collaborative partnerships: “I am confident that this forum will not only deepen the ties between Germany and Chile, but also foster meaningful collaborations that will contribute to the great challenges of the 21st century”. The German Ambassador to Chile, Irmgard Maria Fellner, highlighted the long history of scientific collaboration between the two countries.
On the continuing days, the attending researchers split up into three working groups focusing on renewable energies, sustainable governance, and circular economy. These working groups made significant progress in their discussions, sharing insights, exchanging ideas, and identifying key challenges and opportunities within their respective domains. The researchers actively engaged with government representatives, industry leaders, and academic experts from both Chile and Germany, creating a rich environment for fruitful collaborations.
As the discussions concluded at the First Chile Germany Forum, all researchers and university authorities expressed optimism about the ongoing collaboration between the two countries.