A new agreement has been reached with Sciences Po for the support of two scholarships for Chilean students admitted to a Master’s program at the university, as well as the participation of five Chilean faculty in the Teaching and Learning Workshop hosted by Sciences Po’s Institute for Skills and Innovation taking place this year.

Building on the legacy of the Sciences Po – Quiñenco Scholarships that were awarded in 2020 and 2021, it was decided that future financial support for Chilean students at Sciences Po provided by the Luksic family would be coordinated through the Luksic Scholars Foundation. A final agreement encompassing both programs mentioned above was signed in April 2022.

The new funding program for the Master’s has been named the Luksic Scholarship, and has been made available to students who received an offer to study a two-year Master’s program at Sciences Po to begin in the 2022-2023 academic year, requested financial aid, and met the requirements for the funding. As with the previous scholarship, eligible candidates must be Chilean citizens and residents (without any other European nationality) and must meet the university’s criteria for academic excellence and demonstrated financial need. The final selection and adjudication of the scholarship is carried out exclusively by the admissions team at Sciences Po, with no input from the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

In addition, the agreement reached between Sciences Po and the Luksic Scholars Foundation also provides support for five Chilean university professors with experience in pedagogical strategies and innovation to participate in the annual Teaching and Learning Workshop hosted by Sciences Po’s Institute for Skills and Innovation that will take place in June 2022. In 2022, the theme of this workshop is “Re-Thinking Pedagogy in the Post-Covid Era.” Participants are selected by the team at the Institute that is organizing the workshop.

Together, the Luksic Scholars Foundation and Sciences Po look forward to supporting the Chilean candidates participating in the above-mentioned programs, as well as developing further opportunities in the future.

Sciences Po is France’s leading university in the social sciences and has been educating decision-makers in the public and private sectors for the past 150 years. Today it is a world-class, multidisciplinary research university with a strong international focus, including a student body with 49% international students from 150 different countries.

The Luksic Scholars Foundation supports learning experiences that connect Chile with universities around the world and vice versa and fosters the development of a global network of Luksic Scholars.

In collaboration with 16 internationally-recognized universities, the Luksic Scholars Foundation offers a portfolio of more than 30 undergraduate and postgraduate programs through which more than 1,650 Chilean and foreign people have benefited; 65% of whom are Chilean seeking to improve their skillset and knowledge, as well as contribute to building a better society. 

These are the figures that summarize the 22-year history of Luksic Scholars, an initiative that was born in 2000 by the Luksic Family, and that was formally established as a foundation two years ago in order to continue promoting academic learning experiences that connect Chile with people and universities around the world.

Since its inception, Luksic Scholars has collaborated with academic institutions to implement programs in countries such as China, Croatia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and, of course, Chile. The Foundation’s work has provided access to programs such as a master’s degree in public policy, public administration, economics, business, global leadership, and law, in addition to symposiums on entrepreneurship, educational conferences, and research grants for a variety of fields. 

Currently, the work of Luksic Scholars is based on three main pillars: facilitating the access of Chilean talent to programs at international institutions via collaborative agreements; connecting those who have participated in these programs to a wider global network in order to provide them with more opportunities in their professional and academic careers, and; supporting the presence of Chile within international university offices. 

Looking toward the future, the Foundation plans to continue promoting education as a tool that creates collaborative networks in a globalized world, in which Chile has much to contribute to the exchange of knowledge.

The Luksic Scholars Foundation is part of the Fundación Luksic; the first and oldest of the Luksic family foundations that bring together and supports much of the family philanthropy.

Within the realm of international universities, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is considered one of the most recognized academic institutions in the field of Social Sciences for its role in training future leaders, academics, and other relevant actors for the public sphere. 

In 2020, the Foundation Luksic Scholars created a new scholarship for Chilean students admitted to the Masters in Public Policy (MPP) and Public Administration (MPA) programs at LSE. To date, 16 Scholars have completed these programs, which last nine months and two years, respectively. Five of them, belonging to the 2020, 2021, and 2022 cohorts, share their experiences and note that the experience has made a difference in their professional careers.

The plans of some of these young students, especially those who started their programs in 2020, were nearly at stake due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Olivia Mullins, a lawyer who completed her MPP that same year, says, “the pandemic was a huge blow that threatened my plans to study at LSE, and I wouldn’t have been able to be there without this scholarship. The courses I took were both fascinating and challenging. I was able to meet people from every corner of the world, and with a wide variety of experiences and outlooks.”

The cross-cultural component of this program was also reflected in the experience of María Josefina Hubner, a lawyer, who finished her MPP in 2021: “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,” she stated. 

As for the MPA program, students work to acquire new knowledge about politics and public administration from a global perspective. Reflecting on her post-program goals, economist, María Ignacia Pinto affirms that “after graduation, I will work to translate the knowledge received into efficient public reforms to ensure equality of opportunities in Chile and drive social change.”

A similar motivation, to contribute in a transversal way to cultural changes in the country, is also shared by economist Camila Arroyo, who attended the same program. She says, “Chile’s critical situation 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.”

Ignacio Loeser, an economist set to graduate this year, joined the MPA in 2020 and only after his first few months at LSE defined the institution as “a modern and global university where you learn from great professors and brilliant classmates from all around the world.”

Finding new teaching methodologies that interest and attract students is one of the greatest challenges faced by teachers around the world. In response, the Luksic Scholars Foundation has opened calls for two academic opportunities at Sciences Po and Babson College, aimed at university professors who are seeking to incorporate innovative methodologies in their classrooms or who work in the area of entrepreneurship, in order to enhance their professional development. 

–SCIENCES PO–

To address the challenges in education from a global perspective, the Institute for Capabilities and Innovation Sciences Po will hold an international Teaching and Learning Workshop whose call considers the participation of five Chilean academics supported by the Luksic Scholars Foundation. This opportunity is part of the ‘Faculty Seminar at Sciences Po.’

This year’s program theme is “The Future of Pedagogy Post-COVID” and will take place from June 7th to June 10th in Paris, France. 

Who can apply?

This program is for professors from Chilean universities who work in any discipline; deans and administrators of higher education institutions with a mission focused on pedagogical and educational innovation; and teachers who research within the area of ​​pedagogy. 

Interested candidates can apply via this digital form. Applications close on April 22nd. 

–BABSON SEE CHILE–

Also during the month of April, the annual Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators, organized by Babson College and supported by Fundación Luksic Scholars, is open to professors from Chilean universities. This program, known as Babson SEE Chile, will take place over the course of three days, from June 13th to June 15th, in Santiago, Chile, during which teachers will learn the relevance of the way in which knowledge is transmitted.

Via this initiative, Babson College seeks to develop an international network of innovative educators in the field of entrepreneurship. Some of the topics to be addressed are managing classroom challenges; immersion-based teaching; market tests and experimentation, and learning from failure, amongst others. 

Who can apply?

Professors from Chilean universities who teach and/or research entrepreneurship. Applications close on April 25th and must be sent via the following form.

Selection and admission decisions are made exclusively by the universities. The Luksic Scholars Foundation has no interference in the application, admission, selection or awarding of financial support processes.

On June 22nd, 2021, the 13 recipients of the Luksic Scholars Fund were announced. This initiative was a novel funding opportunity through which the Luksic Scholars Foundation granted US $46,000 to encourage the development of academic research and participation in executive education courses amongst the members of its community. 

Of the total number of beneficiaries, 46% were able to research topics ranging from entrepreneurship, climate change, and citizen participation and politics, including science & technology and the effects of the pandemic on school systems. 

The Scholars who were granted professional support were able to participate in executive execution courses carried out respectively by seven nationally and internationally recognized universities such as London School Economics, Harvard University, MIT, Universidad de Chile, and Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. The topics of the Scholars’ courses included circular economy, business, sustainability, politics, and the Chinese fintech market, among others. 

Seven months later – upon the closing the Fund 2021 – the winners have commented on their experiences and how the results of their projects or courses have impacted their professional development.

Researchers

Sebastian Uriarte, a professor of entrepreneurship, conducted research on working with hybrid entrepreneurs. He says, “I was able to study hybrid entrepreneurs (those who simultaneously work as paid employees and run a business) globally, who make up about 20% of entrepreneurs around the world. I found that these entrepreneurs are more likely to recognize opportunities and create more innovative ventures when they are part of a team.”

Another interesting analysis was developed by Alejandro Cataldo, an academic at Universidad de Talca, who researched family and economic effects of technostress on students due to online classes. Among the conclusions of the study, the professor detailed that “technostress caused by online classes is a complex problem that requires coordination amongst national education, housing, and health policies. As such, the inequality of Latin American countries amplifies the negative effects of the digital divide which have become more evident due to COVID.”

Josefa Villarroel, Director of the Observatory of Entrepreneurship Policies in Chile, investigated the entrepreneurship ecosystem of Easter Island. Through the use of surveys and field visits, she was able to discover how entrepreneurship develops in this culture, the role women play, and the main challenges presented given the territory’s geographical isolation.

Another research project was led by Dr. Xiao Chen, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. His investigation explored the link between climate change and organizations’ social, environmental, and governance performance. The results will be published in 2022.  

Lastly, in politics, Loreto Cox, Assistant Professor at the School of Government of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, alongside Carmen Le Foulon, Ph.D. in Political Science, studied how electoral participation shifted after the change in the electoral system in Chile. Some of the study’s conclusions show that the new, more proportional system strongly increased the number of candidates on the ballot, which resulted in a significant increase in invalid and blank votes. According to the research, this would have mostly affected groups with lower levels of education due to the complexity of an extensive ballot.

Executive education courses

As for professional support stream of funding: the seven Scholars who participated in an executive education course were able to acquire knowledge specific to their professional development in areas such as entrepreneurship, international business, innovation, interpretation, and data recovery; all with the aim of continuing to build bridges and connecting realities and cultures around the world. These were the programs that the recipients participated in:

• Alejandra Astorquiza – Marketing digital: estrategia, procesos y ROI, IESE Business School, Universidad de Navarra
• Alexis Celis – Venture Capital: Investing in Early-Stage Startups, Columbia Business School
• Belén Guede – Diplomado de Estudios Chinos, Universidad de Chile
• Francisco Castañeda – Business, International Relations & the Political Economy, The London School of Economics and Political Science
• Ivana Marsic – Disciplined Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Approach for Building Innovative Products and Ventures, MIT
• Paulina Gutiérrez – Formando Directores, Universidad Adolfo Ibañéz
• Simon Smart – Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies, University of Cambridge Judge Business School

The Luksic Scholars Fund 2021 was a funding opportunity for up to US$ 5,000 offered by the Luksic Scholars Foundation to the members of its online network in line with the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the continuous learning and personal development of the Scholar community.

The opinions and conclusions presented in the works carried out by the Scholars who received funding from the Luksic Scholars Foundation are the sole property and responsibility of those who have expressed them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Foundation.

In establishing this Fund, the Foundation does not endorse or support these opinions or conclusions as it has only sought to motivate Scholars to develop academic research and carry out executive education courses that allow for their professional development.

In collaboration with the University of Oxford, the Luksic Scholars Foundation created the Oxford Blavatnik School of Government Luksic Scholarship for Chileans pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at this School, located in Oxford, United Kingdom. The first Luksic Scholarship was awarded in 2014 and since then, 10 other Luksic Scholars have received support via this scholarship opportunity. The 2020-2021 cohort of Luksic Scholars graduated in August of last year and the 2021-2022 cohort has now arrived on-campus to start their MPP journey.

The 2020-2021 cohort of Luksic Scholars graduated from the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University in the United Kingdom under particularly difficult circumstances due to the pandemic; nonetheless, despite the hardships, the level of camaraderie and teamwork created between this group of three helped turned their MPP program into a great experience.

One member of this cohort, Luksic Scholar Camila Valenzuela (who, since graduating, has taken up a position as an Advisor at the Cabinet of the Minister of Labor and Social Security), says, “studying abroad during a time of lockdowns and restrictions was challenging, especially with my young kids at home, and all of these previous notions I had of what it would be like to obtain a Master’s degree abroad had completely changed – it became more about survival.” 

Camila credits having an amazing study group by her side as one of her biggest pillars of support and one of the most impactful aspects of studying this specific program. “We learned to rely on each other and be there for one another, and this interestingly goes hand-in-hand with an MPP program and learning about public policy – one learns how to work well in teams, divide responsibilities, and build groups of support”, she adds.

As the 2020-2021 academic year came to an end, Camila and the rest of her cohort were introduced to the newest generation of Luksic Scholars: Francisco Carrillo and Miguel Pelayo, Class of 2021, to pass along first-hand advice before the latter two embarked upon their own MPP journey, which began in September of this year. 

Francisco Carrillo, an economist from Universidad de Chile, and the first in his family to receive a university degree has years of economic experience in both private and public sectors. During his previous position at Chile’s Ministry of Social Development, he directed a new program called Clase Media Protegida which aided in the digital transformation of social services in Chile – an initiative that won a National Innovation Award. Francisco aspires to continue learning more about social protection systems and believes that Oxford’s MPP will be able to provide him with the necessary capabilities to design and implement public policy in the social development sector.

Miguel Pelayo, a Law graduate also from Universidad de Chile, seeks to use his skills to find solutions to matters pertaining to climate change and occupational standards. A testament to this is a recently-designed strategy that Miguel helped to craft while working at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which aimed to alleviate adverse effects in the labor market in Chile caused by the pandemic. In terms of his future aspirations, Miguel sees himself in an NGO or public institution continuing to serve the public good in Chile and inspiring others to do the same. He sees Oxford’s MPP as key to this, allowing him to strengthen his policy-making and analytical skills.

Since the start of the collaboration between the Luksic Scholars Foundation and Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, 11 Luksic Scholars have stepped foot on Oxford’s campus to receive their Master’s in Public Policy with the support of the Oxford Blavatnik School of Government Luksic Scholarship*; an opportunity for Chileans pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) at this School. The MPP program specifically aims to give students critical tools to find answers to public policy challenges and to develop the academic knowledge and professional skills to address some of the century’s most complex public policy challenges.

*Selection and admissions decisions are made exclusively by the University of Oxford.

The Harvard DRCLAS Regional Office in Santiago de Chile has organized an academic forum, sponsored by the Luksic Scholars Foundation, which is set to follow the constitutional process in Chile over its two years of duration and provide open, high-caliber conversations about specific and relevant issues that Chileans will face as the country moves through this process.

The initiative was launched in December 2020 and has since then held five events through which varying perspective shave been discussed regarding the current work of the Constitutional Convention, such as representativeness, the future of Chile’s economic model, and the voting of the regulation that will govern this process. Academics, professionals, and opinion leaders from across the political spectrum, and from around the world, have participated in these conversations.

The forum is chaired by Steve Levitsky, Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), Marcela Rentería, Executive Director of the DRCLAS Regional Office in Chile, and Jimena Codina, Manager of the Andes & Southern Cone Program; and has an Advisory Committee composed of seven academics, six of whom have completed the Luksic Scholars Foundation’s “Harvard DRCLAS Luksic Visiting Scholars” program:

• Cristián Rodríguez Chiffelle – Former Head of Trade and Investment Policy, World Economic Forum; Former Executive Director, InvestChile.
• Claudio Fuentes – Professor, Universidad Diego Portales; Constitutional Laboratory Coordinator, Universidad Diego Portales.
• Verónica Figueroa – Professor at the Institute of Public Affairs (INAP), Universidad de Chile.
• Juan Pablo Luna – Professor, School of Government and the Institute of Political Science, Universidad Católica.
• Sebastián Soto – Professor, Department of Public Law; Director of the Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law, Universidad Católica.
• Sol Serrano – National History Award 2018; Professor of History, Universidad Católica.
• Claudia Heiss – Professor and Head of the Political Science Department and & Institute ofPublic Affairs (INAP), Universidad de Chile.

More than 150 participants, representing over 24 countries including Chile, the United States, Peru, Spain, and Mexico, have participated in the events.

The topics that have been in each webinar are as follows:

The first event was the launch of the forum, held on December 2nd 2020, in which Claudia Heiss, Steven Levitsky, Juan Pablo Luna, and Sebastián Soto introduced the initiative and its main objective: to debate and discuss issues such as social rights, the future of Chile’s economic model, restoring legitimacy to a political system that has lost public trust, the promises and limitations of a “green” Constitution, the potential role of direct and participatory democratic institutions, and how to improve democratic representation, especially that of women, indigenous peoples, and other historically under-represented minorities.

The second event, “Constituent Elections in Chile: How to provide representation during a representation crisis?”, was held on January 29th, 2021 and discussed how the public trust in political parties has reached historic lows and how the massive protest movement of 2019 led to the process of drafting a new Constitution. Toward the end of the event, new alternatives of representation were raised, along with the kinds of consequences these could have on Chilean democracy.

On March 19th, 2021, the forum’s third webinar titled “Constitutional change and social demands: Can the gap be closed?” took place. It analyzed whether the process of drafting a new Constitution could effectively address the social demands that have shaken Chile and restore public confidence after the social outburst of 2019.

“Why should you care about the Convention’s regulation?” was the main question proposed and discussed at the forum’s fourth event which was held on May 4th, 2021. The speakers debated whether the internal procedures that will govern the operations of the Constitutional Convention will have an impact on both the way in which Chile’s new constitution is written, as well as the content of its provisions.

Lastly, the forum’s most recent event, “The new Constitution and the Chilean Economy: A break with the past?“, was held on June 16th, 2021 in which Dani Rodrik, Claudia Sanhueza, Rodrigo Valdés, and Rodrigo Vergara addressed concerns that arose regarding the future of Chile’s economic model, as well as the opportunities and constraints the Convention faces as they rewrite or adjust economic rules, especially after May 16th elections, which ended in a decisive support of independent representatives over political parties, and thus, turning politically to the left.

The organization of this academic forum is in collaboration with:

• Faculty of Law, Universidad Católica
• Faculty of Government, Universidad Católica
• Institute of Political Science, Faculty of History, Geography and Political Science, Universidad Católica
• Institute of Public Affairs, Universidad de Chile
• Instituto Milenio Fundamentos de los Datos
• Constitutional Laboratory, Universidad Diego Portales
• Harvard Chilean Student Association

For more information about this forum, you can visit https://drclas.harvard.edu/chile-es as well as Harvard DRCLAS’ official YouTube channel to access the previous sessions’ full recordings or their respective summarized versions. You can also check out the following podcast, supported by Harvard DRCLAS, which references topics and ideas discussed throughout this forum:https://cooperativapodcast.cl/la-convencion-de-chile?ts=20210819135654&categoria=la-convenci%C3%B3n-de-chile

A lawyer from Antofagasta and a business professional from Santiago were accepted by the university Sciences Po, in Paris, and were awarded the Quiñenco Scholarship. One of many initiatives from the Luksic Scholars Foundation, the scholarship covers tuition and living costs for the duration of the students’ chosen academic programs.

Javiera Charpentier and Pinhas Zamorano, recipients of the “Sciences Po Quiñenco Scholarship for Chile,” will begin their studies at the end of August at the Paris campus of the prestigious Sciences Po university. This scholarship is one of many initiatives from the Luksic Scholars Foundation and will cover all costs for Chileans accepted by this academic institution during their time at the school.

The young Chileans were chosen for the scholarship by Sciences Po, following a university and scholarship application and selection process conducted exclusively by the school without any involvement from Quiñenco or the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

Javiera Charpentier, who holds a Law degree from Universidad de Chile, was accepted into the Master’s program in Economic Law. According to her, she chose Sciences Po “because of its outstanding academic reputation around the world and, above all, its curriculum and diverse student body.” She also emphasized how engaging with world-class students and scholars will contribute to her professional development.

Pinhas Zamorano, who holds a degree in Business Administration from Universidad de Chile, will be pursuing a Master of Public Policy with a specialization in Economics and Public Policy. The prestige of this French institution was one of the main motivations behind his decision to attend Sciences Po. “Having a multidisciplinary curriculum and classmates from around the world will definitely enrich the experience of working towards a Master in Public Policy. Both factors broaden one’s outlook and help you see things from different perspectives, which is extremely important when it comes to drafting and implementing public policies,” asserted Pinhas.

Francisco Pérez Mackenna, CEO of Quiñenco, noted the importance of developing Chile’s human capital. “This scholarship is a contribution to drive human capital development in our country. Building new capacities, enabling academic growth, and cultivating the intellectual and academic curiosity of young people is crucial to developing any society.”

Javiera Charpentier and Pinhas Zamorano will join Andreas Guillén, who became the first recipient of the “Sciences Po Quiñenco Scholarship for Chile” in 2020. Varying from the current recipients, Guillén is enrolled in a combined undergraduate/graduate program at the Euro-Latin American campus of Sciences Po, located in the city of Poitiers, and will be in France for five years.

About Sciences Po

Founded in 1872, Sciences Po is an international research university, both selective and open to the world, ranked among the finest institutions in the fields of humanities and social sciences. According to the prestigious QS 2021 ranking, it ranks second in the world in political science and over 40% of its student body is foreign, including undergraduate and graduate scholars.

With almost 600 Latin American students enrolled in its multiple programs, agreements with 48 universities in the region, 6 dual degrees or joint programs with Latin American universities, and a specific campus dedicated to Latin America, Sciences Po is one of the leading European universities in political science.

The university has more than 80,000 alumni, several of which have held prominent public leadership positions such as heads of state, high-ranking officials in international organizations, politicians, business owners, and writers.

“For the past 18 months, we have been forced to live with an unprecedented level of uncertainty and doubt. Uncertainty surrounding our professional commitments, doubts about our personal lives and safety, and even about the fundamental systems in our world and how we interact with our communities and the environment.

In the Luksic Scholars Foundation, we have tried to maintain a pragmatic approach to these uncertainties. As you know, we had to cancel and postpone many programs and activities, but we also added two team members and created new scholarships at Stanford, London School of Economics, MIT, and Sciences Po, in addition to launching our first Fund to provide more support to the network. 

On a personal level, I have certainly not been immune to the uncertainty and unpredictability! My first baby was born three hours before the end of 2020, I earned an MBA from MIT, and now with mixed emotions I am stepping down as Executive Director of the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

I am extremely proud of the work that we have done as a team, especially since the start of 2020. I have had the unforgettable opportunity and privilege to lead this organization from its organic roots to the consolidated foundation that it is now, thanks to the foresight of the Luksic family, the hard work of my team, and most importantly, thanks to the constant dedication and engagement from you – the Luksic Scholars.

One thing we are now certain of is that uncertainty is a given. But I am confident that the Luksic Scholars network and the foundation are built upon fundamental values and supported by the people that will allow this organization to thrive and continue to develop in exciting ways under new leadership. 

The time has come for a refreshed vision and direction. On that note, I am thrilled to introduce Isabella Luksic as the next Executive Director of the Luksic Scholars Foundation. Isabella has helped lead the transformation of the Luksic Foundation during the past year and has worked with us behind the scenes consistently during this difficult year. Please join me in welcoming her!

Thank you to all the members of this network for your support and contributions over the years. I look forward to keeping in touch personally and to seeing what happens next in this special community!
With gratitude,
Jeff Swiryn.”

A total fund of US $ 46,000 will be distributed among the 13 winners who have carried out their programs supported by Luksic Scholars between 2007 and 2019, both in Chile and abroad, and come from four countries around the globe.

The Luksic Scholars Fund (LSF) is a new funding opportunity, for up to US$ 5,000, offered by the Luksic Scholars Foundation to members of its network – A.K.A Scholars-, in line with the commitment to support the continuous training and personal development of the Scholars community.

Luksic Scholars is part of the Luksic Foundation and has been supporting men and women to continue their higher studies for more than 20 years through scholarships and educational exchanges. Since 2000, more than 20 programs have been developed and 1,600 scholarship recipients have been supported, 900 of whom are now actively part of the Scholars network.

The LSF was created in response to comments and requests for financial support made by the members of the Scholars network, thus emerging as a financing alternative specially designed so that they can take advantage of programmatic or academic opportunities presented during the current pandemic. This Fund offers two sources of funding: one to support continuing professional development, through online executive education; and the other to support innovative and small-scale academic research projects, in any of their stages.

“This initiative will allow us to continue connecting with the Scholars, and also connecting them with their peers and relevant institutions”,points out Jeff Swiryn, Executive Director of the Luksic Scholars Foundation.

In this first edition, the initiative has 36 virtual applications, both in English and Spanish, which were first evaluated by the Luksic Scholars team through a SAFe evaluation (Suitability, Admissibility and Feasibility.)

In the case of research projects, these were also evaluated by an external Evaluation Panel. The committee, composed by Xue Jian, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University; Steve Reifenberg, Associate Professor, Chair in International Development, University of Notre Dame; Georges de Bourguignon Covarrubias, Investment Director, ASSET AGF; and Stephanie Dazin, Director of Nexo Internacional, from the Economics and Business college at University of Chile, evaluated the applications using criteria of clarity and coherence of ideas; originality and creativity of the project; demonstration of the impact of the project; and feasibility of delivery.

After the evaluations, about 30% of the applications, that is 13 out of 36, were awarded funds, thus reaching a total delivered of US$ 46,000.

“This is an opportunity to help Scholars from all over Chile and anywhere in the world, to get through this 2021, so they can expand their international networks. We look forward to a new iteration in the future, once we evaluate the real impact of this fund on the professional and academic profiles of the winner Scholars“, explains Ben Thompson, Project Coordinator at Luksic Scholars.

The winners

The 13 winners of the LSF have carried out their programs supported by Luksic Scholars between 2007 and 2019, both in Chile and abroad. The beneficiaries have participated in eight different programs and come from four countries around the globe.

Simon Smart, an English citizen residing in Chile, participant in the Babson Luksic Fellows program, in 2013, was awarded the fund to carry out the course: “Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies”, from the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.

Ivana Marsic, Croatian, who completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education for Croatia program in 2007, will receive support for her professional career, which she will use to take “Disciplined Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Approach for Building Innovative Products and Ventures”, at the renowned MIT. “I am passionate about entrepreneurship and the process of creating value from scratch. My professional goal is to develop an entrepreneurial generator in Croatia: a company that creates start-ups, which will have to balance experimentation and learning with the selection and implementation of a strategy, through internal teams and scale them globally. The key is to understand what idea is worthwhile and how to maximize the effort to achieve success, “says Ivana.

The Chilean teacher, Francisco Castañeda, was part of the Babson Case Writing Teaching Workshop program in 2010, and will now join the “Business, International Relations and The Political Economy”, a course offered by The London School of Economics and Political Science. “Understanding the major trends in business at a global level allows me to acquire a more concrete vision about how countries like Chile should insert themselves in the international arena. This knowledge will be transmitted to my students,” he explained.

Another Chilean professor who benefited is Alexis Celis, who was part of Babson’s Entrepreneurship Educators Symposium 3 years ago. Celis will carry out the executive education program “Venture Capital: Investing in Early-Stage Startups”, dictated by Columbia Business School.

Belén Guede is a prominent engineer from the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Chile and, currently, Product Owner at Zippedi, an Artificial Intelligence start-up for retail. In 2019, he made an exchange to China for 6 months, as part of the Luksic Scholarship for Chile-China Undergraduate Exchange, and applied to take the “Diploma in Chinese Studies”, also from the University of Chile. “The impact of the course on my professional career will be reflected in developing applicable capacities both in the public and private, national and international world, as well as articulating and carrying out commercial activities and inter-institutional cooperation with different actors in China,” says Belén.

The Chilean teacher, Paulina Gutiérrez, who traveled to the United States in 2017 within the framework of the Babson Luksic Fellows program, will take the “Forming Directors” program, taught by the Adolfo Ibáñez University.

The Chilean Alejandra Astorquiza, participant in 2019 of the Babson Symposium in its last face-to-face edition, will carry out a course on “Digital Marketing: strategy, processes and ROI”, promoted by the IESE Business School of the University of Navarra.

Among those who will receive support for his research is Juan Cristóbal Opazo, who was awarded the fund to carry out his study “Evolution of the N-terminal region of the Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) oncoprotein”. Opazo, made his Visiting Fellowship at Harvard DRCLAS, in 2016, supported by the Luksic Scholars.

Likewise, Josefa Villarroel, Director of the Entrepreneurship Policies Observatory, who deepened her research on this subject at Babson College during 2016, is developing the project “Ara o te hakake – Discovering the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Rapa Nui”. “This research project will positively impact my professional and personal development. Additionally, it will contribute to my purpose of contributing to the development of more inclusive and diverse ecosystems, this being the engine of my move to Rapa Nui in 2020”, said Josefa.

Dr. Xiao Chen, of Chinese origin and today located in Canada, is working as Professor of Management at the University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Chen was part of the exchange of MBA students under the Conducting Business in Chile program in 2016. Chen will use the funds for his research project “Climate change and S&P 500 Organizations’ social, environmental, and governance (ESG) performance: A socioecological exploration.” Dr. Chen notes: “This project cultivates an academic network, beyond the Luksic Scholars community, connecting truly distinctive disciplines of the natural and social sciences.”

Chilean Alejandro Cataldo, who traveled to Babson in 2013, will allocate financial support to his project “Effects of family and economic factors on techno-stress in students due to remote learning. Does inequality generate techno-stress?”

On the other hand, Chilean professor Sebastián Uriarte, who continued working in the area of ​​entrepreneurship, after participating in the Babson Chilean Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators SEE in 2015, develops an investigation called “Working with Hybrid Entrepreneurs”. “This project is significant for my academic career, as it will correspond to the final research that I must complete to receive my doctorate. This investigation began in March 2021, being in an initial stage, so the Luksic Scholars Fund will be fundamental to make its implementation viable”, said Sebastián.

Finally, Loreto Cox, PhD in Political Science from MIT, supported by Luksic Scholars during her PhD that began in 2013, is working on “More Options, but Less Willing to Vote When Already at the Ballot Box: District Magnitude and Turnout after the End of the Chilean Binomial System.”