"Just over two years ago, the company Industrias Chilenas de Alambre Inchalam S.A. approached the innovation center of University of California, Davis in Chile (UC Davis Chile) in order for them to initiate a technical collaboration and to develop innovation projects focused on the fruit sector, specifically on fruit conduction systems and protection. Throughout this time, both entities have carried out various initiatives with excellent results. For this reason, they thought it was natural to formalize this relationship by signing a Collaboration Agreement on Wednesday, 4th September at Corfo's offices, as UC Davis Chile is supported by Corfo’s International Centers of Excellence Attraction Program. 

The aim of the agreement is to deepen the relationship of collaboration between Inchalam and UC Davis Chile as strategic allies in the development of innovation projects and activities related to the provision of information and new capabilities to national fruit producers.  “One of our main stakeholders has always been industry. Although as UC Davis Chile we always wish to publish, create patents and generate academic movement, our aim is to improve productivity and the competitivity of Chilean companies. That is why, from the outset we have always been working with different companies and the signature of this alliance with Inchalam confirms the joint work, in this case in the service of fruit farming,” commented Dr. Mauricio Cañoles, CEO of UC Davis Chile.

'We realized that we alone could not innovate, but that we needed third parties to help us. Therefore, we have been working with local and foreign universities on issues of mining, aquaculture and natural risks. In the fruit farming sector, we detected that there were many needs for innovation and that we required a high-level partner. What motivated us during this process was not so much the commercial issue, but to generate value for a sector we saw was developing. Therefore, in this union with UC Davis Chile we are looking to identify the necessities of the different actors to improve productivity, efficiency and profitability. Since we still face many challenges, we believe that this is going to be more of a long-term relationship,' explained Juan Carlos Aliste, Inchalam’s Commercial Manager."

Read the full story at UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center website.