• Between June 7 and the 17, the tenth edition of the “Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators” will take place, led by experts from Babson College, the worldwide leading institution in the entrepreneurial field.
• The aim of the symposium is to train university professors from all over Chile, transferring the entrepreneurial spirit to them, at the same time that they are prepared through the use of pedagogical tools that they can then implement in their own courses.
• More than 400 teachers in the country have been part of this program in the last 10 years.

The “Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators” is held in Chile by Babson College, a leading institution in teaching entrepreneurship, in alliance with the Luksic Scholars Foundation, and seeks to teach faculty from throughout the country, tools related to the entrepreneurial profile in addition to innovative educational practices, providing a unique opportunity to all regions of the country.

This program will be carried out digitally between Monday 7 and Thursday 17 of June, and will be conducted by renowned professors Andrew Corbett and Matthew Allen, from Babson, international experts in entrepreneurship and innovation and how to bring these topics to the classrooms.

This is the tenth version of the symposium in Chile, although the first to be held remotely at a national level, after nine face-to-face editions between 2011 and 2019. On this occasion, there is a cohort of 44 Chilean university professors distributed among Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Talca, Coyhaique and other cities in the country.

In May, it was held the third edition of Antofagasta version of the symposium, which is exclusively dedicated to teachers from universities located in the northern macrozone of the country.

The symposium looks for the attendees to teach classes more effectively and innovatively in their university classrooms, delivering different teaching methodologies, through effective learning, experimentation, and creativity; and a deep understanding of business, which Babson has called “Entrepreneurial Thought and Action” ®.

The proposal implies an enthusiastic and dynamic participation of the Chilean faculty, who will spend two weeks deconstructing concepts and definitions, while delving into the entrepreneurial mindset.

Professor Andrew Corbett, President of the Entrepreneurship Division, Director of the SEE-Chile Program and Distinguished Professor of Paul T. Babson says that: “Over the past decade, I have taken away so much from working with the Chilean faculty members in the Luksic Scholars-Babson College Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE) program.  The entire experience is a great reminder that there are talented, creative brilliant people everywhere.  And that is true within Chile as well.  We have had the pleasure not just to engage with folks in Santiago and at the biggest and best-known schools, but we have been to many cities – La Serena, Concepción, Puerto Montt, Temuco, Antofagasta, and more. And we’ve worked with folks at all types of schools… And the creativity is amazing.  The passion of the people of Latin America is well-known across the globe and I have seen this each and every year I travel back to Chile.”

Corbett, excited but regretting not being able to set foot on Chilean soil this time, adds: “That emotion and engagement is critical because people learn best when their emotions are tapped into. So, one of my biggest takeaways has been a reminder from my Chilean colleagues to be my true authentic self; to bring my emotions and passion into the classroom.  This year has been the same.  Even though we are engaging and working together online, the creativity and passion comes through.  It is truly fantastic! I know that students will learn best when I am my true self and I have my Chilean colleagues to thank for that.”

For nearly three decades, Babson College has been singled out as an example of developing and empowering academic excellence.

This symposium for entrepreneurship educators has already prepared nearly 4,500 educators from more than 1,100 institutions around the world, to form a growing group of innovative teachers in the field of entrepreneurship, who understand the importance of creating connections between theory and practice in education.

• The agreement with the Facultad de Economía y Negocios of the University of Chile will allow 60 undergraduate students to access the scholarship.
• The program is renewed for three more periods.
• The call for the 2022 period is already open.

The Luksic Scholarship for Chile-China Undergraduate Exchange program, of the Luksic Scholars Foundation, extends for three more years, thus affirming the commitment with the Facultad de Economía y Negocios (FEN) of the University of Chile, and allowing 10 undergraduate students per semester, and for six semesters, to have the possibility of studying and living in China.

The Luksic Chile-China scholarship allows FEN students to spend a semester in the eastern country, either at the Guanghua School of Management, at Peking University (located in Beijing); or at the School of Management at Fudan University, located in Shanghai.

To date, 39 students from the three FEN careers have carried out their exchange in China on the basis of their academic and personal merit.

This year, the call is resumed for the period 2022, after a two-year hold due to the pandemic.

Regarding the impact generated by participating in this type of calls, the Director of the International Nexus of the FEN Undergraduate Schools, Stephanie Dazin, points out that “This program develops in greater depth cooperation links between leading business schools in China and the FEN, so that students can benefit and gain strength in academic and cultural research; study exchange, and study tours. In addition, it seeks to increase the intercultural, linguistic and networking approach between FEN students and students from China.”

The call is open, and will be available until July 2. More information can be found at: https://pregrado.fen.uchile.cl/beca-luksic-scholars-para-china-otono-2022-now-open

• Between May 3rd and the 13th, the third version of the seminar “Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators, Antofagasta” will be held by experts from this world-renowned institution.

50 teachers from Arica to La Serena will go through a very enriching pedagogical experience in the third version of the “Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators”, organized between the Universidad de Antofagasta, through its Office and Transfer and Licensing (OTL-UA) and the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

The seminar will take place online between Monday 3rd and Thursday 13th of May, and will be hosted by faculty Andrew Corbett and Matthew Allen from Babson College, two expert professors in topics related to innovation and entrepreneurship, especially taken to different areas, such as the pedagogical and the educational.
In this version of the program, teachers from the universities of Antofagasta, La Serena, Atacama, Arturo Prat, Tarapacá and Universidad Católica del Norte, previously selected, will participate to receive pedagogical content, tips and tools, for them to improve their teaching in a more effective and innovative way in the classroom.
For this, a series of sessions will be carried out, such as “Search for needs for the generation of Ideas” and “The mentality for entrepreneurial education and teaching of entrepreneurial thinking and action”, among other important topics.
The global contingency will not be absent: The “Teaching in a Pandemic: Online and other modalities” session will reinforce the pedagogical tools of teachers and their adaptation to the new teaching formats that the current Covid-19 pandemic requires.

BENEFITS

For Alejandra Portillo, director of the Office of Transfer and Licensing (OTL-UA), developing this program generates multiple benefits for the educational community.
“In order to generate development in the educational field, it is essential to be able to provide tools to teachers and specialize in teaching entrepreneurship and new technologies. That is why we are so happy to be able to carry out a new version of this program together with world-class experts and an institution such as Babson College that ensures quality and innovation in its content.”
For the OTL-UA director it is very relevant “to be able to support our peers from other universities, thanks to the support of the Luksic Scholars Foundation, which translates into 200 scholarships in the 5 years that this program lasts.”
While Jeff Swiryn, Executive Director of the Luksic Scholars Foundation, states: “We are very happy to be able to provide a new edition of this recognized Babson program in Chile. Even going through this pandemic, we want to validate our commitment to education and professional development, and this is a great opportunity for this, for 50 teachers from the north of the country will acquire knowledge of experts in entrepreneurship, and then spread good practices to their students and their communities.”
Susana Rubilar, Deputy Director of Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship at OTL-UA, said that “this program is essential to promote and develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem within the university, since instances like these allow us to reach teachers from. The entrepreneurship perspective, which they will then share with their students, transmitting the spirit of entrepreneurship.”
The online version of this program has been able to adapt to new educational demands “and we hope that all participants can enjoy and learn new practices that they can then apply in their virtual classrooms,” she added.

BABSON COLLEGE

Babson College is recognized as the number one university in teaching entrepreneurship worldwide, and stands out as an example of the development and empowerment of academic excellence.
The agreement signed with this entity contributes to teaching these subjects in a more effective and innovative way in the classroom, delivering case studies under different teaching methodologies, in addition to effective learning.
This program has already prepared more than 4,400 educators from more than 1,100 institutions around the world, to form a growing group of innovative teachers in the field of entrepreneurship, who understand the importance of creating connections between theory and practice in teaching.
A commitment that will undoubtedly help improve the quality of education in the northern macrozone, thanks to the joint work carried out between the Office of Transfer and Licensing of the University of Antofagasta (OTL-UA) and the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

Even given these difficult times, the Office continues to carry out its mission of sharing MIT knowledge and research in the region, despite the challenge of being physically distanced from alumni, partners, students, and our audience in Latin America.

Installed in Santiago in 2013, MIT Sloan established then its first physical presence outside the United States in Chile. This initiative allows for the enhancement of MIT’s presence in the region and plays a key role in advancing the Institute’s strategic goals.

The mission of the MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO) reflects MIT’s commitment to improving the world through the development of principled, innovative leaders who are prepared to manage—and lead—in a complex global economy.

The MSLAO supports activities focused on energy, water, and sustainability; innovation and entrepreneurship; and growth and productivity.

Below is a snapshot of some of the activities and highlights of the past year.

WEBINARS AND VIRTUAL EVENTS

In the beginning of April, the MSLAO moved its regional activities online. Since then, the MSLAO has led or been involved in more than 40 virtual events ranging in topics from the macroeconomic implications of the pandemic to energy and sustainability to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and education and e-mobility, among many others. We have collaborated with a range of institutions from the private and public sectors as well as foundations to offer these webinars. To view recordings from some of these past events, please visit our YouTube channel. 

2020 MSLAO SEED FUNDS

The MSLAO’s engagements were not limited to virtual interactions. MIT faculty and staff made use of their seed funds from last year to conduct research projects in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. In 2020, the MSLAO received the most applications ever for seed funds and awarded six projects funds for research starting in 2021.

100K LATAM          

In 2020, the MSLAO in collaboration with the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA) launched the third edition of the 100K LATAM. The entire competition was conducted virtually with over 3,400 entrepreneurs across 16 countries in Latin America from 1,385 startups. On November 17th, the winners of the regional competition were named:

Launch – Eco Panplas (Brazil)

Accelerate – EcoScience Lab (Mexico)

Pitch – BioSynáptica (Argentina)

DATA ANALYTICS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

In the beginning of 2020, the inaugural class of the MIT Sloan and Universidad de Chile Data Analytics Certficate ended a successful first year of the program with a two-week visit to Boston/Cambridge where they participated in a variety of data analytics-related courses taught by renowned MIT and MIT Sloan faculty. To learn more about their experience, please click here.

The second cohort of students began their classes entirely online this past July. Their two-week immersion, which would have taken place at MIT in January 2021, has been rescheduled to July in the hope that they will be able to travel to the United States and have a safe and pleasant on-campus experience in the summer.

COVID @ MIT

To keep up to date on MIT’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the research being conducted to help confront the pandemic, information can be found at the following two links:

https://now.mit.edu/

https://news.mit.edu/topic/covid-19

The new Luksic scholarship supports postgraduate students from Chile joining the School of Public Policy at LSE.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a huge blow that threatened my plans to study at LSE, and I wouldn’t have been able to be here today without this scholarship.” Olivia Mullins.

The first cohort of outstanding young policymakers from Chile have started their LSE studies, thanks to a new Scholarship Fund supported by the Luksic family.

Established to provide financial aid to Chilean students enrolled in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) or the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at LSE, the scholarships are needs-based and support ten beneficiaries per year. The programme offers an extraordinary opportunity for talented young professionals to gain knowledge and skills they will later use to improve lives and livelihoods through policymaking.

In the midst of exceptionally challenging global circumstances created by COVID-19, the scholarships are already having a profound impact on the students whose LSE experience has just begun. We are delighted to meet members of the first cohort of Luksic Scholars, hear how they are settling in at LSE, and learn about their plans for the future.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was a huge blow that threatened my plans to study at LSE, and I wouldn’t have been able to be here today without this scholarship. The courses I am taking are both fascinating and challenging. I’ve met people from every corner of the world, and with a wide variety of experiences and outlooks.”

Olivia Mullins
(Master of Public Administration 2021)

“Coming to LSE to study this programme has always been my dream. LSE’s culture and community represent a unique mix of international backgrounds. The active student life, public lectures, and exposure to diverse political views are teaching me as much as the courses. My long-term goal is to become a Chilean Congresswoman. Deep in my heart, I think I can add tremendous value to transform Chile into a truly developed economy.”

Maria Josefina Hubner
(Master of Public Administration 2021)

“This scholarship was my only option to become part of LSE. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I am determined to make the most out of this experience. After my graduation, I will work to translate the knowledge received into efficient public reforms to ensure equality of opportunities in Chile and drive social change.”

Maria Ignacia Pinto Retamal
(Master of Public Administration  2021)

“I started my studies only a month ago, and I am deeply impressed by how much I have learned so far. LSE is a modern and global university where you learn from great professors and brilliant classmates from all around the world. I am thrilled with my decision to come here; I feel challenged and motivated.”

Ignacio Loeser
(Master of Public Administration 2022)

“My LSE experience will allow me to grow as an individual and academic. After I graduate, I plan to return to my country and be an agent of public policy change. The critical situation in Chile will require professionals capable of rethinking economic policy from all spectrums: from the creation and implementation of public policies to structural reforms in terms of citizen participation, education, health, and social security.”

Camila Arroyo
(Master of Public Administration 2022)

Source: https://www.lse.ac.uk/supporting-lse/your-gifts-in-action/2020-2021/luksic-scholars

• Luksic Scholars Foundation announced a new scholarship fund for up to 10 Chilean beneficiaries per year who have already been admitted to the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics.
• The university will be in charge of the students’ admissions and the distribution of financial aid from the fund provided by the Foundation.

With the aim of fostering leadership and contributing to the development of individuals, Luksic Scholars Foundation announced in August the creation of a new scholarship fund, supported by the Luksic family, at one of the most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

The fund, intended for Chilean students admitted to the School of Public Policy of the LSE, whether in the Master of Public Administration (MPA), or the Master of Public Policy (MPP), will provide financial aid for up to 10 beneficiaries per year.

Both master’s programs have a special focus on public policy and administration, taking into consideration a global perspective and placing emphasis on training professionals in applied economics, statistics and quantitative methods, political science, political philosophy, and other social sciences.

The Executive Director of the Luksic Scholars Foundation, Jeff Swiryn, points out that “with this new scholarship fund at LSE we emphasize our interest in promoting opportunities for Chileans to pursue advanced degrees at some of the best universities in the world.”

Professor Andrés Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy at the LSE, stated that “we look forward to welcoming the first generation of Luksic Scholars to our school. This is an extraordinary opportunity for young men and women with a strong commitment to public service to acquire the skills and know-how they will then put to work improving lives and livelihoods in Chile.”

LSE is in the stage of defining its candidates. The university is in charge of the admissions of its students and the distribution of financial aid, and these decisions are made exclusively and independently after the evaluation of each case, since it is a needs-based award.

This opportunity will be available to some of the candidates who are currently being evaluated by the university, and also for the next academic session, 2021-2022, whose applications cycle will be stipulated by LSE.

With this new scholarship fund, Luksic Scholars Foundation has now consolidated 20 programs to date that offer study opportunities for outstanding students and professionals mainly from Chile.

Luksic Scholars Foundation held a webinar called “Entrepreneurship in Changing Times”, especially for the members of its platform, in which the entrepreneur Matías Muchnick, CEO and co-founder of NotCo, one of the fastest growing food technology companies in Latin America participated.

Lasting 45 minutes, the event was moderated by Felipe Magofke, Luksic Scholar since 2012, who is part of the more than 1,500 beneficiaries of this network created 20 years ago.

With a degree in finance and a business background, Muchnick assembled a scientific team that succeeded in creating a machine learning algorithm that enabled the development of plant-based products faster and more accurately than any other player on the market. With operations in Chile, Argentina and Brazil, and with four categories of products in the market, NotCo, a company founded in Chile in 2015, plans to land in the United States to continue conquering the world with its products.

“You always have to invest in technology and people, talent. Make sure that your human capital is specialized, capable. This is difficult to find in Chile, where not everyone has the mindset to dare to found a start-up. So, we need things to happen for others to happen, as in a kind of contagion … And act as a “pay it forward””, he commented, adding that it is important for him to have a diverse work team to achieve the goal of becoming a global company. “That is another issue that I notice in Chile: companies are thought to be only from and in Chile, instead of scaling internationally.”

The CEO of NotCo commented on the various aspects that a Chilean entrepreneur must consider to find their own formula for success. In that sense, he stressed the importance of leaving the comfort zone, and of being curious: “You have to think about what comes next,” he said.

At the webinar, Muchnick delivered four practical tips for entrepreneurs. First, he referred to the so-called “self-awareness”, and explained that it is important to know who you are as a founder, and who you need to hire. He said that it is necessary to have a team of people who complement each other and who are aligned with the vision of the founder. To this, he added that one had to have a “disruptive vision” to understand what success is and thus be able to define it and communicate it to the rest. Finally, he stated that “good ideas without execution are worth zero; money and all resources are worth zero. It all comes down to being a visionary and working with those who can execute that vision for you”.

At the closing remarks, Muchnick again mentioned the importance of the composition of the teams. “Have the best people in your company to be the best company,” he said confidently.

After 20 years, Luksic Scholars has now become a foundation: with a total of 25 programs to date, more than 1,500 beneficiaries of scholarships and programs, and the establishment of four foreign university centers in Chile.

The Luksic Scholars initiative has become the “Luksic Scholars Foundation”, recognizing this way 20 years of the Luksic family support of scholarships and programs for more than 1,500 beneficiaries in Chile and Latin America, the United States, China, Croatia, and the United Kingdom.

Luksic Scholars promotes academic development, collaboration, and internationalization through programs dedicated to educating, inspiring, and connecting people around the world, in partnership with a dozen global universities for undergraduate and graduate studies for students, professionals, academics, and leaders.

Additionally, Luksic Scholars  has facilitated the establishment of four foreign university regional centers in Chile, including Harvard, Columbia, MIT, and Tsinghua University.

The Luksic family began this journey at the end of the ’90s, seeking to connect people, talent, education, and leadership.

The Luksic Scholars Foundation is part of the Luksic Foundation; the first and oldest of the Luksic family foundations that brings together and supports much of the philanthropy carried out by the Luksic family. The Luksic Foundation began its activities in the late 1960s and since 2005, has been chaired by Paola Luksic Fontbona, daughter of the foundation’s founder, Andrónico Luksic Abaroa.

Last Friday was the first time Luksic Scholars has collaborated with ChileMass Alliance with a webinar that rendered an intriguing conversation about the challenges of urban micro-mobility and new technologies that connect Chile and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States.

Have you ever thought about reimagining new neighborhoods or what the future of mobility will look like, and what those challenges might be? This was the topic of discussion during last week’s virtual conversation, organized by Luksic Scholars and ChileMass, in which two Luksic scholars were featured: Isabel Brain (Urban Sociologist, Ph.D. (c) in Urban Planning from University College of London) and Luis Valenzuela (Doctor of Design from Harvard University Graduate School of Design).

Pablo Allard, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Universidad del Desarrollo, moderated the event and started us off by introducing us to the first speaker: Michael Lin (Ph.D (c) and Master of Science from the MIT, research lead for mobility projects at the MIT Media Lab City Science GroupMedia).

INNOVATION & THE FUTURE: Michael showcased how transportation innovations will re-shape our future mobility landscape and will help solve problems like pollution and parking in big cities. Some of these concepts include CityCar, MIT RoboScooter, GreenWheel (a wheel that can easily turn a bike into a motor device), a self-driving car (announced by Google), and most notably, the MIT PEV (Persuasive Electric Vehicle). PEV is an electric tricycle invented by Michael himself, alongside his team at MIT; it aims to solve last-mile transportation and improve mobility system efficiency and roadside safety [reference image below].

Through this extensive research, Michael hopes that we all are provided with the right tools and knowledge so we can build and contribute to our own auto-mobility as we move forward; merging ideas of affordability, autonomy, and mobility.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? Isabel took a different spin by presenting a realistic picture of what the here-in-the-now looks like for cities and mobility with a case study of Santiago, Chile.

She acknowledged the current COVID situation and how this has produced a window of opportunity to introduce long, overdue changes to cities but now with a certain urgency. And although this may be an opportunity, it certainly comes with its challenges. How do we find the middle ground between a large city/population and social distancing?

In most LATAM cities, there are dense inner-city areas mixed with a high dependency on public transportation and extreme social segregation – and Santiago is no exception. Isabel proposed to invest in a city-wide network of cycling paths, distribute shared bikes and scooters, widen sidewalks, and incorporate more social spaces where people can meet safely, such as parks and public libraries.

HERE ARE THE FACTS – THE “FIRST MILE”: While Michael talked about technology, innovation, and robots, and Isabel discussed the density of neighborhoods and its challenges, Luis wanted to hit on a third point which is “what do you need?”

His all-encompassing presentation was titled “Only 9%,” during which he referenced what Michael was remarking about the “last mile” and said, “let’s talk about the first mile: what do we have at our doorsteps? What is the proximity you’re looking for when you think about walking your dog, going to sports practices, doctor’s appointments…?”.

Luis revealed an astonishing fact: only 9% of Santiago’s municipal population is within 15 minutes walking to public and private amenities and services. A 15-minute walk is approximately 1 km or 1 mile in distance, thus where the “first mile” comes into play. In other words, only 9% (of a population of about 7 million people) can access their basic needs within a one-kilometer radius. Luis said, “this is a failure to our neighborhoods and to having abandoned one of the most needed networks in this context of what our livelihood is.”

THOUGHT-PROVOKING Q&A: This led to a nice transition to the finale of the event: a thought-provoking Q&A during which the panelists and webinar participants discussed potential solutions for urban mobility, delving deeper into the challenges we’re going to face, and contemplating whether or not COVID is ultimately going to be a burden or lead to more opportunities within this context.

In March, Luksic Scholars, driven by the Luksic family, established four new scholarship funds at Stanford University that will allow mainly Chilean students and professionals to access financial aid in order to carry out their studies at this world-class educational institution.

This support is the first that Luksic Scholars has established on the west coast of the United States (specifically in the heart of Silicon Valley), and will be distributed to people with varying levels of experience, providing scholarships for undergraduates, postgraduates, and professionals and academics with Ph.Ds.

The first fund, Stanford International Undergraduate Luksic Family Scholarship, is intended for international undergraduate students who have been admitted to Stanford and are in need of financial support in order to complete their studies. This fund is available to students from any of Stanford’s schools and covers 65 major fields of study.

Another, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Luksic Fellowship, will award up to two scholarships per year to Chilean students admitted to the MBA, MsX, or Ph.D. programs held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Following suit, another opportunity at Stanford is at the Stanford Law School (SLS) through the Luksic Family Stanford Law School Fund. In this case, Chilean students who have been admitted to the SLS are eligible for financial aid in order to obtain their degree in the selective Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD) program, designed for those interested in becoming academics and teachers of law and social sciences.

Finally, the Luksic Visiting Scholars & Fellows Program at Stanford Center for Latin American Studies represents an unparalleled opportunity for distinguished academics from Chile, of any discipline, to conduct their research during a full term at the Stanford, California campus; being able to access a wide range of expert professionals, libraries and other resources, through the institution’s Center for Latin American Studies.

Jeff Swiryn, Executive Director of Luksic Scholars, notes that “Stanford University will exclusively and independently determine the admission and financial aid decisions for these Luksic Scholarship programs.”