At the national level, the Universidad de La Frontera achieved an approval rate of 56%, being the best university in Chile among the universities that sent in more than four project proposals.

Lyophilizate with honey-flavored propolis, a platform to manage the work environment, the elaboration of healthy legume-based snacks and an innovative solution for osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint – these are some of the issues these eight project proposals of the Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), that have been approved in the VIU (Valorization of Research in Universities) Stage 1 competition 2019 of FONDEF (Scientific and Technological Development Support Fund), deal with.

These projects allow the UFRO to be in third place at the national level regarding the number of approved projects, and to value the theses and ideas of its undergraduate and graduate students.
In this context, the UFRO achieved an approval rate of 56%, being the best university in Chile among the universities that sent in more than four project proposals.

The VIU 2019 Stage 1 competition of FONDEF focuses on the elaboration of a work plan, a business plan, the formalization of an intellectual property agreement and the project preparation and defense, which will take place in December 2019 at the CONICYT (National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research) office in Santiago de Chile. Each of the projects received funding of 2 million Chilean pesos and has a 3 months completion deadline.

The initiatives have the support of the Office of Innovation and Technology Transfer (DITT), through the Unit of Technology Transfer (UTT), regarding the development of business and work plans, as well as the implementation of a series of workshops, which aim at strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship competencies of the beneficiaries.

The eight projects are led by: Claudio Rojas, Fabiola Valdebenito, Consuelo Arias, Verónica Iturriaga, Joaquín Rilling, Cristina Mardones, Jennifer Silva and Matías Hernández.
“We want to thank each one of the researchers for their efforts. The results allow the UFRO to be in a privileged position at the national level and confirm that our academic staff and students have great potential and that, as a university, we do excellent science and research”, Dr. Renato Hunter, the Vice-rector for Research and Graduate Studies, pointed out.

THE PROJECTS

“Supplemented hyaluronic acid as a solution for osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)” is the name of the project led by Veronica Iturriaga, who is a dentist, specialist in TMJ disorders and a graduate of the UFRO Doctorate in Medical Sciences.

She explained: “The objective is to address the treatment of joint diseases, in this specific case of TMJ, having in mind that the population is getting older and older. The idea is to promote a drug that is already available on the market – hyaluronic acid – and to add another compound to it, in order to improve its effects on the jaw.”

Cristina Mardones, a psychologist with a Master in Total Quality Management Systems, leads the project called “Wave: Work environment management platform for complex organizations and universities”. Regarding the objectives of the project, she explained: “I am passionate about institutional management and its continuous improvement. That is why I am developing a software that efficiently measures the work climate and helps to manage it at the same time, so the organization gets healthier and the people who work in it feel better.”

Project name: Hidatest: A fast, sensitive and specific diagnostic test for the diagnosis of hydatidosis
Researcher in charge: Claudio Rojas
Unit/study program: Doctorate in Medical Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Carlos Manterola

Project name: Additive to improve the rheological properties of asphalt binders based on corn leaves and oat hulls
Researcher in charge: Fabiola Valdebenito
Unit/study program: Doctorate in Natural Resource Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Gonzalo Valdés

Project name: Propo Health: Lyophilizate with honey-flavored propolis from the Araucanía Region
Researcher in charge: Consuelo Arias
Unit/study program: Doctorate in Sciences with specialization in Applied Cellular and Molecular Biology
Supervisor: Dr. Luis Salazar

Project name: Supplemented hyaluronic acid as a solution for osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint
Researcher in charge: Verónica Iturriaga
Unit/study program: Doctorate in Medical Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Mariano del Sol

Project name: Development of a bioinoculant for wheat of easy traceability and colonization monitoring using CRISPR genes
Researcher in charge: Joaquín Rilling
Unit/study program: Doctorate in Natural Resource Sciences
Supervisor: Dr. Milko Jorquera

Project name: Wave: Work environment management platform for complex organizations and universities
Researcher in charge: Cristina Mardones
Unit/study program: Master in Total Quality Management Systems
Supervisor: Dr. Sonia Salvo

Project name: Elaboration of healthy snacks with high protein content and high amino acid quality based on the processing of flour from legume sprouts with quinoa and brown algae
Researcher in charge: Jeniffer Silva
Unit/study program: Biotechnology
Supervisor: Luis Torralbo

Project name: PhysLav VR: Interactive and immersive simulator for physics experiments
Researcher in charge: Matías Hernández
Unit/study program: Computer Engineering
Supervisor: Dr. Jaime Díaz