Since the dawn of primitive metallurgy, thousands of years ago, up to the early XXI century, copper mining has been constantly incorporating new technologies. This process does not stop: it is a key to the future.

Codelco devotes time and resources to research and innovation, in a permanent search for discoveries and developments that lead to changes of high technological impact on the productive processes.

One of the strategic priorities guiding Codelco´s actions establishes "to incorporate technology as an essential rquirement of competitivity".

Incorporation of technology into copper mining makes possible greater efficiency of the production processes as well as exploiting deposits where metal extraction is difficult, either because of low concentrations or because it is associated to other chemical elements from which it is hard to separate it.

Technology is also important to develop increasingly cleaner productive processes aiming at a more sustainable mining. Additionally, it may allow to develop technology based businesses.

Codelco´s policy in this regard seeks to position this Corporation "in the first level of use of the technology available in the market". It also points to activities of research and innovation "in a systematic and permanent way where the market does not offer integral solutions".

The technological policy implies the improvement of the management and organization of the innovation and technology area, the training of its professionals, the protection of its technological values and the establishment of cooperation agreements to advance in this field.

The technological development of the Corporation has made possible important improvements in open pit and underground mining, modernization of the copper concentrator plants, and developments in areas such as smelting, refinery and hydrometallurgy.

Biomining, hydrometallurgy, contonuous smelting, open pit mining and mineral processing are some of the areas on which Codelco´s interest in development is focused.