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24 out of 63 awarded projects are from regional universities and UFRO is in fourth place with five projects. |
The university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) has been playing an important role at the regional and national level in the context of the current global health crisis. They have been adding up their scientific and technological capacities to face all the challenges this pandemic brought. The social commitment of this institution has been characterized by the contribution of its specialists, laboratories and researchers, and now, five projects of the university were awarded in the Research Project Competition of the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), for the fast allocation of funds for research projects on COVID-19. At the national level, 63 projects were awarded, of which 24 are from regional universities. UFRO is in fourth place with 5 projects. The researchers in charge of these projects are Dr. Víctor Beltrán, Dr. Valeska Geldres, Dr. Jaime Inostroza, Dr. María Román and Dr. Carlos Zaror. In addition, the university is also participating as an associate institution in two other projects. “This news fills us with pride, not only because it positions us among the institutions with the highest number of awarded projects, but also because it shows that – as a public and state university – we are aware of the needs of our environment and that we are an important contributor in the fight against this pandemic and in this global health crisis,” said Dr. César Arriagada Escamilla, the Vice-rector for Research and Graduate Studies at UFRO. The university authority congratulated the academic staff that participated in this competition and emphasized that more than a thousand projects had been submitted. “We recognize the commitment of those who submitted their competitive proposals in a complex scenario that demands greater efforts in all our activities,” he added. The Director of the Office for Innovation and Technology Transfer, Franklin Valdebenito, explained that the projects will provide new knowledge within the different fields of research, with appropriate solutions for these critical times the country and the world are going through. “These projects have a strong local focus, but with global reach. Besides, they strengthen important alliances that allow us to continue our progress together, based on our skills in science, technology and innovation.” THE PROJECTS The competition by ANID, for the fast allocation of funds for research projects on COVID-19, was meant for research projects that investigate the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus or COVID-19 disease, focusing on the diagnosis, control, prevention, treatment, monitoring and/or other aspects related to this infectious disease and its consequences from a scientific, technological, health-related, social, economic, cultural and humanistic perspective.
Here is a list of the awarded projects of UFRO: Clinical practice guidelines for safe dental care in times of COVID-19 Dr. Carlos Zaror Sánchez, Faculty of Dentistry Evaluation of the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the infection caused by SARS COV-2 in COVID-19 immunosuppressed patients in the region La Araucanía (Chile) and Barcelona (Spain) Dr. Jaime Inostroza Sarmiento, Faculty of Medicine. Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health: longitudinal study of anxiety and depression symptoms and risk behavior in communities in the Chilean regions Coquimbo and La Araucanía Dr. María Román Mella, Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities. Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the export competitiveness of food companies in the south of Chile Dr. Valeska Geldres Weiss, Faculty of Law and Business. Semi-virtual technological platform in support of emergency and priority dental care for senior citizens in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Chilean population Dr. Víctor Beltrán Varas, Faculty of Dentistry.
Written by: Karimme Riadi Millas Vice Rectorate for Research and Graduate Studies
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