Santiago, June 26, 2025.- Codelco held the recognition ceremony for the Piensa Minería competition, an initiative that promotes the development of excellent academic research focused on the main challenges facing the sector. In this 2024-2025 version, the Corporation recognized eight doctoral and master's thesis students for their innovative proposals, which align with the strategic focuses defined by the company to advance toward a safer, more sustainable, and more efficient mining industry.

The competition attracts accredited Chilean universities and is aimed at students and academics enrolled in postgraduate programs. The winning projects address key issues for the present and future of the industry, related to deep mining, metallurgical processes, waste management, decarbonization, electromobility, technology, and digitalization. These areas are the focus of the state-owned company's innovation efforts, seeking solutions that generate a real impact on its operations.

“At Codelco, we care about building the future by incorporating the most advanced knowledge,” stated Julio Díaz, Vice President of Mining Resources, Development, and Innovation at the state-owned company, at the event. The executive explained the challenges the company faces due to its century-old deposits and its vision for the future of responsible production, which requires new formulas and technologies. “Piensa Minería symbolizes the value we place on collaboration with the academic world, especially with younger researchers who, with fresh perspectives, have much to contribute,” he added, emphasizing the importance of promoting the generation of advanced human capital in Chile.

Also present at the ceremony was Alejandra Pizarro, national director of the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), who praised the promotion of applied science projects. “We have a critical mass of excellent researchers in our country who can help us solve the challenges of the future. Mining needs this contribution, and I believe we can establish an extremely virtuous relationship between academia, researchers, and the government, creating opportunities for collaboration,” Pizarro stated.

More than 60 applications

The winning projects were selected from more than 60 submissions through a rigorous technical evaluation process involving internal professionals and external evaluators, all of whom were specialists in the competition's thematic areas. Aspects such as innovation, the quality of the study objectives, and the applicants' academic background were reviewed.

Among the eight theses selected for the 2024-2025 edition of Piensa Minería, studies were proposed to improve safety in underground mines by understanding the phenomenon of rock fracturing; using artificial intelligence to monitor and predict the stability of waste dumps; and developing cyber-physical models of underground electric transportation systems with the goal of improving their autonomy, among other projects.

“The greatest reward is the direct collaboration with the industry,” said Thiare Salazar, winner of the competition with a master's thesis that will seek to characterize rock veins in drilling using hyperspectral imaging. “You can see the applied research, generating value for the company,” concluded Salazar.

Codelco