{"id":20123,"date":"2026-07-23T16:27:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/?p=20123"},"modified":"2026-07-23T17:16:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T21:16:04","slug":"cega-adjudica-proyecto-estrategico-para-desarrollar-el-primer-living-lab-altoandino-de-infraestructura-publica-en-arica-y-parinacota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/cega-adjudica-proyecto-estrategico-para-desarrollar-el-primer-living-lab-altoandino-de-infraestructura-publica-en-arica-y-parinacota\/","title":{"rendered":"CEGA Secures Strategic Project to Develop the First High-Andean Living Lab for Public Infrastructure in Arica and Parinacota"},"content":{"rendered":"

The initiative, funded by the Regional Fund for Productivity and Development (FRPD) 2026 of the Regional Government of Arica and Parinacota, will establish a dynamic, integrated, community-based laboratory to generate scientific evidence aimed at improving public infrastructure in mountain territories, strengthening energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and data-driven decision-making.<\/strong>entada a mejorar la infraestructura p\u00fablica en territorios de monta\u00f1a,<\/strong>fortaleciendo la eficiencia energ\u00e9tica, la adaptaci\u00f3n clim\u00e1tica y la toma de decisiones basada en datos.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Andean Geothermal Center of Excellence (CEGA) at the University of Chile was awarded funding from the 2026 Regional Fund for Productivity and Development (FRPD) of the Regional Government of Arica and Parinacota and its Honorable<\/strong>, de la Universidad de Chile, se adjudic\u00f3 el Fondo Regional para la Productividad y el Desarrollo (FRPD) 2026 del Gobierno Regional de Arica y Parinacota y su Honorable<\/p>\n

Regional Council, to implement the project \u201cHigh-Andean Living Lab: Innovation for Adaptive Infrastructure in the Altiplano,\u201d a pioneering initiative aimed at generating applied scientific knowledge to address the challenges of habitability and energy efficiency in the Chilean Altiplano. \u201cLiving Lab Altoandino: Innovaci\u00f3n para infraestructura adaptativa de altiplano\u201d<\/strong>, una iniciativa pionera que busca generar conocimiento cient\u00edfico aplicado para enfrentar los desaf\u00edos de habitabilidad y eficiencia energ\u00e9tica en el altiplano chileno.<\/p>\n

El proyecto contemp\"\"The project will involve upgrades to the boarding facilities at Liceo Granaderos de Putre and Escuela de Visviri, both of which are equipped with geothermal heating systems previously developed by the University of Chile. Building on this foundation, the initiative will improve the buildings\u2019 thermal envelopes and implement permanent scientific monitoring infrastructure to assess, under real operating conditions, the performance of the energy systems, the thermal behavior of the buildings, and the environmental variables specific to the High-Andean territory.<\/p>\n

Unlike a conventional infrastructure intervention, this project will transform both facilities into a High-Andean Living Lab: a dynamic laboratory in which public infrastructure will serve as a platform for applied research, continuously generating data to validate technologies, optimize designs, and develop models specifically tailored to high-altitude mountain environments. Living Lab Altoa<\/strong>ndino<\/strong>, es decir, un laboratorio din\u00e1mico donde la infraestructura p\u00fablica funcionar\u00e1 como una plataforma de investigaci\u00f3n aplicada, generando informaci\u00f3n continua para validar tecnolog\u00edas, optimizar dise\u00f1os y desarrollar modelos espec\u00edficos para zonas de alta monta\u00f1a.<\/p>\n

For CEGA Director Diego Morata, Full Professor at the Department of Geology of the University of Chile, this funding award represents an important step toward consolidating the contribution of applied research to regional development.\n\n\u201cThis project demonstrates how science can respond to concrete challenges faced by local territories. Our goal is not only to improve the infrastructure of two educational facilities, but also to generate knowledge that can guide future public investments in high-altitude areas and extreme climatic conditions, providing evidence-based solutions to address climate change and move toward more resilient infrastructure,\u201d he explains. \u201cEste proyecto demuestra c\u00f3mo la ciencia puede respo<\/strong>nder a desaf\u00edos concretos del territorio. No solo buscamos mejorar la infraestructura de dos establecimientos, sino generar conocimiento que permita orientar futuras inversiones p\u00fablicas en zonas de alta monta\u00f1a y condiciones clim\u00e1ticas extremas, aportando soluciones basadas en evidencia para enfrentar el cambio clim\u00e1tico y avanzar hacia una infraestructura m\u00e1s resiliente\u201d<\/strong>, explica.<\/p>\n

For her part, project director Linda Daniele highlighted that the initiative will make it possible to validate technologies in a scientifically unique environment. \u201cThe High-Andean Living Lab will allow us to study the combined behavior of buildings, geothermal systems, and the natural environment under extreme high-altitude conditions. The information gathered will be essential for developing models specifically tailored to the Chilean Altiplano and strengthening decision-making on public infrastructure.\u201d \u201cEl Living Lab Altoandino nos permitir\u00e1<\/strong>estudiar el comportamiento conjunto de los edificios, los sistemas geot\u00e9rmicos y el entorno natural bajo condiciones extremas de altura. La informaci\u00f3n obtenida ser\u00e1 fundamental para desarrollar modelos espec\u00edficos para el altiplano chileno y fortalecer la toma de decisiones en materia de infraestructura p\u00fablica.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the project\u2019s core components will be the implementation of a permanent monitoring platform that will collect environmental, energy, and operational data from the participating facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will install an integrated network of sensors to continuously monitor the thermal behavior of the buildings, the performance of the geothermal system, and the environmental conditions of the territory. This information will be processed and validated to transform it into scientific evidence that can support researchers, public agencies, and future infrastructure projects,\u201d explains Diego Aravena, CEGA researcher and faculty member at the University of Atacama, and principal investigator of the project, which will generate a database unprecedented in Chile.<\/strong>, explica Diego Aravena, investigador del CEGA y docente de la Universidad de Atacama, investigador principal del proyecto que generar\u00e1 una base de datos in\u00e9dita para el pa\u00eds.<\/p>\n

In addition to directly benefiting students, teachers, and educational communities in Putre and Visviri, the information generated by the project will be made available to support planning by the Regional Government, municipalities, the Chinchorro Local Public Education Service, and other public agencies involved in territorial development.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Along these lines, the project\u2019s General Coordinator, B\u00e1rbara Bravo, highlighted the initiative\u2019s collaborative nature and its impact beyond the facilities directly involved. \u201cWhile our main motivation is to address the thermal comfort needs of students who currently endure the cold conditions characteristic of this extreme environment, our challenge is to ensure that this project goes beyond the physical improvements and helps build a model of collaboration between academia, public institutions, and local communities, where the knowledge generated can be transformed \u201cSi bien nuestra principal motivaci\u00f3n es dar respuesta a las necesidades t\u00e9rmicas de las y los estudiantes que hoy sufren el fr\u00edo propio de esta zona extrema, nuestro desaf\u00edo es que este proyecto trascienda las obras f\u00edsicas, para construir un modelo de colaboraci\u00f3n entre la academia, los servicios p\u00fablicos y el territorio, donde el conocimiento generado se tran<\/strong><\/p>\n

into concrete tools for designing more efficient, resilient, and replicable public infrastructure across the Chilean Altiplano. This is our vision of applied science and energy innovation serving the quality of life of vulnerable territories,\u201d she said.\n\nBravo also explained that the initiative includes a significant technology transfer component through the development of protocols, simulation models, decision-making tools, and outreach activities aimed at facilitating the replication of this experience in other facilities and High-Andean territories.<\/strong>, se\u00f1al\u00f3, explicando que la iniciativa tambi\u00e9n contempla un importante componente de transferencia tecnol\u00f3gica, mediante el desarrollo de protocolos, modelos de simulaci\u00f3n, herramientas para la toma de\u00a0\"\"decisiones y actividades de difusi\u00f3n orientadas a facilitar la replicabilidad de esta experiencia en otros establecimientos y territorios altoandinos.<\/p>\n

Following the award of CLP 310 million in FRPD funding for a 21-month implementation period, teams from the Regional Government of Arica and Parinacota and the University of Chile will begin the administrative and technical preparations required to launch the project in the coming weeks. These will include designing the planned interventions, acquiring scientific equipment, and coordinating with the regional and local institutions involved.<\/p>\n

With this project, which together with the University of Chile\u2019s contribution brings the total investment to CLP 325.6 million, the Arica and Parinacota Region is taking a step toward consolidating a territorial innovation model in which public infrastructure not only addresses the current needs of local communities, but also generates strategic knowledge to guide future regional investments based on scientific evidence.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The initiative, funded by the Regional Fund for Productivity and Development (FRPD) 2026 of the Regional Government of Arica and Parinacota, will establish a dynamic, integrated, community-based laboratory to generate scientific evidence aimed at improving public infrastructure in mountain territories, strengthening energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and data-driven decision-making.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20123"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20132,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20123\/revisions\/20132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cega-uchile.cl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}