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.