Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile academicians honoured
The call sought to put the local and global concerns of our societies at the center, safeguarding the dignity of the human person.
“To direct towards a common project for present and future humanity” was the call that inspired the call for the XVIII Research and Creation Contest for Academics, and whose winners were recognized and awarded this Thursday, July 1 by the Directorate of Pastoral and Christian Culture , in conjunction with the Vice President for Research (VRI) and the Vice President for International Affairs (VRAI) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
It is a new version of the contest that sought to encourage university professors, UC and other higher education institutions – Chilean and foreign – to contribute to the evangelizing mission, presenting original research projects, oriented to the truth, the common good and beauty, in a way of dialogue of faith and reason, to contribute to society with a Christian perspective.
“This contest has proven to be the confirmation of the spirit of collaboration and dialogue that is generally lived in the world of academia and research, and whose relevance is demonstrated today more than ever, since it puts knowledge at the service of people and it encourages dialogue between the different disciplines with Christian values ”, highlighted the rector of the Catholic University, Ignacio Sánchez.
“This contest has proven to be the confirmation of the spirit of collaboration and dialogue that is generally lived in the world of academia and research” – Ignacio Sánchez, Rector UC
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For his part, the Vice-Rector for Research, Pedro Bouchon, stated that “seeking dialogue between faith and reason has proven to be a fruitful path, where the union of reason and faith, far from being opposed, complement each other. (…) For this reason, we are allowed to tackle a challenge that we must continue to develop in order to try to respond to the problems of our societies ”.
Along these lines, the UC chaplain general, Fr. Fernando Valdivieso, pointed out that “the search for the truth, which animates our work at the university, finds an extremely important milestone on this day, with this contest, because it makes explicit the task of the Catholic university, which ―as it says Ex Corde Ecclesiae – must engage in the dialogue between faith and reason, so that it can be seen how faith and reason meet in the only truth ”.
Research without borders
Interpellated by national and international events, and inspired by the 30 years of the Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, the celebration of the Laudato si ‘year and the publication of the encyclical letter Fratelli tutti, this call was opened for academics from different Chilean universities and foreigners could participate.
In this way, in a collaboration by the academic fraternity, 133 professors and professors from 36 universities (22 Chilean and 14 foreign) participated. Of these, 56 were recognized after the award of 15 projects.
“Personal identity and digital resurrection: towards a more human world?”, “Impact of a spiritual care strategy in the prevention of psychological disorders in relatives of patients hospitalized in ICU with severe Covid-19” and “Camps and school education: diagnosis to implement a program of preferential love for the ‘last’ ”, are some of the names of the investigations that were awarded funds and that emphasized local and global social concerns, recognizing and promoting the dignity of the human person.
“International networks are a fundamental space for the creation and strengthening of links that expand our knowledge, which can help us to keep in mind, within our path, connecting with existing world problems, and how in this networking it can generate collective knowledge. (…) And it is that we are subjects that are part of a global community, with issues that affect us and in which we can contribute in the generation of alternatives for their solution, ”said Lilian Ferrer, Vice Chancellor for International Affairs.
For the same reason, he added, it is that “for us it is essential to consider that each investigation carried out is a space for meeting and understanding different views of the world in which we live. For this reason, it is fundamental, (…) under the wing of our Christian spirit, that we help promote spaces in which all the actors of our UC community , researchers, teachers, officials and students, can find new opportunities for growth, not only personal, but also that contribute to social, political and economic well-being ”, he said.
After the award, it is expected that these research or creation projects will generate concrete results of future collaboration, through applications to other internal or external funds, participation in broader initiatives, degrees of students with thesis in co-direction and publications. joint ventures, among other achievements.
“The Catholic identity of our university is what gives the research we carry out a seal and a special responsibility, given that the development of culture is at stake and where its projects take on a particular value,” said the UC rector to to thank and congratulate the participants of this version number 18 of the contest that facilitates and promotes the collaborative work of hundreds of researchers, academics and students.
“Through projects with a Catholic identity, which are designed for the common good, faith and reason are put into dialogue, and this dialogue, today, reaches an international level that puts great growth and new challenges on it. to this program ”, Ignacio Sánchez remarked.
For this call, the ruling committee determined that 15 projects – nine in the national category and six in the international – will be awarded the funds after evaluating their quality, originality, feasibility of execution and Catholic identity. The awarded funds range from $ 3,000,000 to $ 5,000,000. The teams will have a period of one year to develop their objectives.