Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) continues to advance in the protection and valorisation of knowledge generated by its academic community. Various technologies developed by research teams have been granted patents in Chile, the United States, Mexico and multiple European countries, in fields such as road infrastructure, agricultural biotechnology, reproductive health and construction materials.

Patent protection constitutes a key tool for safeguarding research results and facilitating their projection towards practical applications in society. In this context, UFRO, through its Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, actively promotes the intellectual property management of developments generated by its research teams, encouraging their valorisation and eventual transfer to productive and social sectors.

In this regard, UFRO Director of Innovation and Technology Transfer, Dr. Paola Durán Cuevas, welcomed the granting of these patents and highlighted the significance of these advances. “Obtaining patents in different countries reflects the value and projection of the knowledge generated at the university. These results are the outcome of the work carried out by our researchers, students and the support provided by our office to protect and project these technologies towards transfer and real-world application.”

At the level of applied research, these results also reflect the work of teams developing solutions with implementation potential across different productive sectors. In this regard, Dr. Alejandra Calabi Floody, member of the Road Pavement Research Group (Gipav UFRO, its Spanish acronym), the team that developed FiTyre®, highlighted the importance of international protection in advancing technology transfer processes. “Having obtained this patent in the United States confirms that we are doing things correctly and that we are developing products that are truly innovative. The advantage of having this legal tool is that it facilitates the technology transfer process.”

Details of the patents are provided below:

Granulated additive based on textile fibres from end-of-life tyres (NFU), tyre powder and asphalt binder, including the production process and use of the product (FiTyre®).
Team: Dr. Gonzalo Valdés Vidal, Dr. Alejandra Calabi Floody, Luis Mardones Parra.
Countries where granted: United States, Mexico.

Method for the vitrification of human semen and portable kit for the application of said method (Vitrisperm).
UFRO team: Dr. Raúl Sánchez Gutiérrez, Dr. Mabel Schulz Rubilar.
External team: Dr. Juan Álvarez González, Dr. Albert Obradors Cherta, Enrique Oquiñena Muguerza.
Countries where granted: United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden.

Culture medium for the in vitro propagation of ectomycorrhizal fungi of the genus Ramaria sp.
Team: Dr. Maribel Parada Ibáñez, Dr. Evelyn Briones Osses, Dr. Gonzalo Tortella Fuentes, Dr. Mauricio Reyes Schencke, Dr. Ignacio Jofré Fernández, Dr. Pablo Pérez Courbis, Dr. Tiara Barriga Barra.
Country where granted: Chile.

Material based on recovered cement and its use for the production of ceramic products for construction.
Team: Dr. Viviana Letelier González, Dr. Marion Bustamante Valenzuela.
Country where granted: Spain.

Lyophilised bacterial consortium containing strains of Acinetobacter sp., Serratia sp. and Bacillus sp., its preparation method and use to inhibit pathogens and promote plant growth.
Team: Dr. Paola Durán Cuevas, Dr. Cristian Meriño Gergichevich, Dr. Patricio Barra Espinoza, Dr. Sharon Martino, Dr. Isabel Méndez Panes.
Country where granted: Chile.

Adaptable ionising radiation fluence concentrator device that focuses electrons and X-ray photons.
Team: Dr. Rodolfo Figueroa Saavedra.
Country where granted: United States.

Cristian Bustamante Cea
Innovation and Technology Transfer Office