R&D labs in Chile
The 311 Institute tracks 41 R&D labs in Chile: 26 research institutes, 6 government, 5 university, 2 intergovernmental, 1 corporate and 1 non-profit. Most are in Santiago, Concepción and San Pedro de Atacama, and the leading organisations include Millennium Science Initiative, University of Chile and Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases. Their main focus areas are global and planetary change, astronomy and astrophysics, instrumentation and oceanography.
Part of the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory. Compiled by Matthew Griffin. Last updated .
41labs
38organisations
12cities
39verified
All 41 labs
| Lab and organisation | Location | Type and sector | Focus | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codelco TechCodelco | Santiago, Chile | Corporate Mining and materials | Mining technology | 2010 |
| Chilean Nuclear Energy CommissionChile government | Santiago, Chile | Government Energy and resources | Nuclear | 1964 |
| Instituto de Fomento PesqueroInstituto de Fomento Pesquero | Valparaíso, Chile | Government Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography, Aquatic Science | 1964 |
| Instituto de Investigaciones y Control del Ejército de ChileInstituto de Investigaciones y Control del Ejército de Chile | Santiago, Chile | Government Industrials and manufacturing | Mechanics of Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Chemistry | |
| Instituto Nacional de NormalizaciónInstituto Nacional de Normalización | Santiago, Chile | Government Public policy and analysis | Health Information Management, Strategy and Management | 1973 |
| Millennium Science InitiativeMillennium Science Initiative | Santiago, Chile | Government Agriculture and food | Plant Science, Molecular Biology, Artificial Intelligence | 1998 |
| Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and InnovationMinistry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation | Santiago, Chile | Government Environment and climate | Economics and Econometrics, Global and Planetary Change, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law | 2018 |
| Center for Dynamic Research on High Latitude Marine EcosystemsAustral University of Chile | Punta Arenas, Chile | University Environment and climate | Oceanography, Ecology, Global and Planetary Change | |
| Pontifical Catholic University of ChileUniversities in Chile | Santiago, Chile | University Multidisciplinary research | Astronomy, Engineering | 1888 |
| Advanced Mining Technology CenterUniversity of Chile | Santiago, Chile | University Environment and climate | Control and Systems Engineering, Geochemistry and Petrology, Water Science and Technology | |
| Centro Sismológico NacionalUniversity of Chile | Santiago, Chile | University Environment and climate | Geophysics, Transportation, Artificial Intelligence | 1908 |
| Centro de Ciencias Ambientales EULA-Chile de la Universidad de ConcepciónUniversity of Concepción | Concepción, Chile | University Environment and climate | Nature and Landscape Conservation, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Oceanography | |
| Fundación ChileFundación Chile | Santiago, Chile | Non-profit Technology | Innovation, Sustainability | 1976 |
| Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)ALMA Observatory | San Pedro de Atacama, Chile | Intergovernmental Science and research | Astronomy | 2011 |
| ESO Paranal ObservatoryESO | Paranal, Chile | Intergovernmental Basic science | Astronomy | 1999 |
| Advanced Center for Chronic DiseasesAdvanced Center for Chronic Diseases | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Biomaterials, Epidemiology, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine | 2013 |
| Agriaquaculture Nutritional Genomic CenterAgriaquaculture Nutritional Genomic Center | Temuco, Chile | Research institute Agriculture and food | Genetics, Food Science, Plant Science | 2005 |
| Center for the Socioeconomic Impact of Environmental PoliciesCenter for the Socioeconomic Impact of Environmental Policies | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Global and Planetary Change, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Ecology | 2014 |
| Center of Applied Ecology & SustainabilityCenter of Applied Ecology & Sustainability | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Nature and Landscape Conservation, Global and Planetary Change, Ecology | 2013 |
| Centre For Sustainable Urban DevelopmentCentre For Sustainable Urban Development | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Social sciences and humanities | Transportation, Management Science and Operations Research, Water Science and Technology | |
| Centro de Astrofísica y Tecnologías AfinesCentro de Astrofísica y Tecnologías Afines | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics | |
| Centro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión SocialCentro de Estudios de Conflicto y Cohesión Social | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Social sciences and humanities | Sociology and Political Science, Political Science and International Relations, Social Psychology | |
| Centro de Investigación de Polímeros AvanzadosCentro de Investigación de Polímeros Avanzados | Concepción, Chile | Research institute Chemicals and materials | Materials Chemistry, Biomaterials, Molecular Medicine | 2003 |
| Centro de Recursos Hídricos para la Agricultura y la MineríaCentro de Recursos Hídricos para la Agricultura y la Minería | Concepción, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Water Science and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Waste Management and Disposal | 2013 |
| Complex Engineering System InstituteComplex Engineering System Institute | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Social sciences and humanities | Transportation, Automotive Engineering, Economics and Econometrics | 2007 |
| European Southern ObservatoryEuropean Southern Observatory | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics | 1962 |
| Fraunhofer Chile Research FoundationFraunhofer-Gesellschaft | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Immunology, Polymers and Plastics | 2010 |
| Inria ChileInria Chile | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Technology | Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Building and Construction | 2012 |
| Instituto de Neurociencia BiomédicaInstituto de Neurociencia Biomédica | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Cell Biology, Sensory Systems, Physiology | 2011 |
| Instituto ForestalInstituto Forestal | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Nature and Landscape Conservation, Global and Planetary Change, Forestry | 1965 |
| Isaac Newton InstituteIsaac Newton Institute | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Nuclear and High Energy Physics | 1978 |
| Las Campanas ObservatoryLas Campanas Observatory | La Serena, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Nuclear and High Energy Physics | 1969 |
| Millennium Institute on Immunology and ImmunotherapyMillennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Immunology, Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases | |
| Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channel Associated DiseasesMillennium Nucleus of Ion Channel Associated Diseases | Valdivia, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Sensory Systems, Physiology | |
| Millennium Initiative for Collaborative Research on Bacterial ResistanceMillennium Science Initiative | Santiago, Chile | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Medicine, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Infectious Diseases | |
| Millennium Institute of OceanographyMillennium Science Initiative | Concepción, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Oceanography, Ecology, Global and Planetary Change | 2013 |
| Cerro Tololo Inter-American ObservatoryNSF NOIRLab | La Serena, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Nuclear and High Energy Physics | 1962 |
| Osservatorio Astronomico di Campo CatinoOsservatorio Astronomico di Campo Catino | San Pedro de Atacama, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Genetics | 1987 |
| Patagonian Ecosystems Investigation Research CenterPatagonian Ecosystems Investigation Research Center | Coyhaique, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Oceanography, Atmospheric Science, Nature and Landscape Conservation | 2005 |
| Southern Astrophysical Research TelescopeSouthern Astrophysical Research Telescope | Vicuña, Chile | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics | |
| Centro del Agua para Zonas Áridas y Semiáridas de América Latina y el CaribeUNESCO | Coquimbo Region, Chile | Research institute Environment and climate | Water Science and Technology, Global and Planetary Change, Environmental Engineering |
R&D ecosystems in Chile
Organisations with labs in Chile
Other countries in South America
Questions and answers
How many R&D labs are there in Chile?
The 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory lists 41 active R&D labs in Chile as of October 2026: 26 research institutes, 6 government, 5 university, 2 intergovernmental, 1 corporate and 1 non-profit.
Which organisations run the most R&D labs in Chile?
In this directory the organisations with the most labs in Chile are Millennium Science Initiative, University of Chile and Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases.
Where are R&D labs concentrated in Chile?
They cluster around Santiago, Concepción and San Pedro de Atacama. The largest R&D ecosystem is Santiago.
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