Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: HUC international network in which UC participates celebrates significant achievements in its third year

Promote collaboration in education, research and innovation with the ease of generating the knowledge and solutions necessary to face key challenges in the region and the world on issues such as public health, climate change, crime, corruption, entrepreneurship and technology. That was the main purpose proposed in April 2018 by rectors and authorities of various universities that today make up the Hemispheric University Consortium (HUC, Consortium of Universities of the Hemisphere) , establishing themselves as a unique cooperative alliance to contribute solutions from research and education about the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations .

Three years after its creation, several initiatives that address these needs have strengthened collaboration between the 14 universities in Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and the United States that are members of this alliance, including the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

“The work developed by HUC has been remarkable, in particular I highlight the joint reaction that has been promoted to innovate in the new scenario of virtuality. A very agile network has been established to pilot new projects that can contribute to regional development ”, highlights Ana María Sepúlveda, executive director of Linking and Development of the UC Vice-Rector’s Office for International Affairs.

“The work developed by HUC has been remarkable, in particular I highlight the joint reaction that has been promoted to innovate in the new scenario of virtuality. A very agile network has been established to pilot new projects that can contribute to regional development ”- Ana María Sepúlveda, executive director of the VRAI

This is how the “HUC Social Entrepreneurship Collaborative Center” created a multilateral program on social innovation in the hemisphere – “Paths to Prosperity”; a series of conferences about the impact of Covid-19 on the follow-up of the SDGs- “Conversations for the Future” and a competition for young entrepreneurs- “Social Ideas Challenge”. In the conference series alone, more than 70 experts came together in 17 seminars to reflect on the impact of Covid 19 on the SDGs, sharing knowledge with an audience of some 20,000 people.

The “The HUC Innovation Observatory” created the first Consortium website to promote Research collaborations among members, set up “mathcmaking” meetings between research projects and also another for research internships. Meanwhile, the “HUC Collaborative Online International Learning” has brought together more than 1500 people in conferences to share best practices and learning between HUC institutions, benefiting more than 3300 students with the experience.

The most recent of the initiatives was the one unveiled at the recent annual meeting of the directors of HUC universities: the launch of the new website of the Library Network , an online platform that provides information on research related to the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as digital tools, information resources. It is a collaborative space that allows you to contribute to improving education, innovation and research.

The results showed that this cooperative mechanism has multiplied the potential to contribute to sustainable development through the visions and strengths of each institution, and results in a greater good for the member universities and our society. In the words of Julio Frenk, president of the HUC Consortium and the University of Miami , they are committed to “continuing with the energy” shown so far.

Meanwhile, the acting rector of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra , David Álvarez, highlighted that “the consortium of Universities of the Hemisphere (HUC) has made possible synergy between partner universities in order to overcome the challenges derived from the pandemic” . This is how he highlighted the International Collaborative Online Learning program, conceived to facilitate “internationalization at home”, given the limitations to mobility inherent in health regulations, in addition to the initiatives promoted in the field of social entrepreneurship, the observatory of innovation and the library network.