Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB)
Chile is a natural laboratory for the bioeconomy: the world’s driest desert, one of the planet’s richest copper and cobalt provinces, a Mediterranean agricultural heartland under growing water stress, and more than 6,000 kilometers of Pacific coastline. Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB) works across all of them.
Through three research centers — the Center for Systems Biotechnology (CSB-UNAB), the Center for Plant Biotechnology (CBV-UNAB) and the Quintay Marine Research Center (CIMARQ-UNAB) — UNAB contributes to each of the five pillars of the Global Bioeconomy Alliance.
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Jovana Batarce
Decarbonization and Energy Systems
CSB-UNAB applies biomining and bioleaching to recover the critical metals that underpin the energy transition; copper, iron, nickel and cobalt. Its flagship Cobalto VerdeÒ project uses specialized microorganisms to recover cobalt from mine tailings while significantly reducing water and chemical consumption, opening a route to critical-mineral supply with a materially lower environmental footprint and positioning Chile, already the world’s leading copper producer, as a source of the minerals the global energy transition depends on.
Biomaterials and Biomanufacturing
CBV-UNAB investigates the valorizations of plant biomass and fruit-industry residues, converting them into polymers and high-value compounds for the food, forestry, and pulp and paper industries. CSB-UNAB develops bioproducts from agro-industrial by-products, including bio stimulants and fermented fertilisers obtained through microbial processes. At CIMARQ-UNAB, research on seaweed cultivation; life cycles, propagation, early development and biomass production, targets integrated systems running from seedstock to biomass, supplying renewable marine feedstock.
Circular Resources
CSB-UNAB reprocesses mine tailings, turning a long-standing liability into a source of recoverable metals while reducing environmental risk, and valorizes organic waste into bio stimulants and fertilizers that return nutrients to the soil. CIMARQ-UNAB applies the same logic in water: its work on aquaponics integrates aquaculture and hydroponics through biologically mediated nutrient recycling, maximizing water efficiency.
Food, Feed and Marine Systems
With more than two decades of experience, CIMARQ-UNAB has developed cultivation techniques, seed production and juvenile rearing protocols for native species of high ecological and economic value, including the Chilean keyhole limpet, red sea urchin, black rock crab, Chilean sea bass, cusk-eel and fine flounder, and leads work on stock enhancement, benthic fisheries management and marine ecosystem conservation. Its technical assessments of Chile’s Management and Exploitation Areas for Benthic Resources (AMERB) provide the scientific evidence behind regional harvesting quotas.
On land, CSB-UNAB optimizes soil and water use, strengthens biodiversity and natural capital, and conducts genetic monitoring of crop viruses. Through AgrosimbiosisÒ and AgroDesierto, it works directly with companies, farmers and local communities to improve water-use efficiency and adapt production to climate change. CBV-UNAB studies plant defense against viruses, bacteria, fungi and insects, reducing dependence
on agrochemicals, and plant responses to drought and nutrient availability, supporting crop varieties that are more resilient and more resource-efficient.
Cross-cutting Enablers
UNAB’s approach rests on co-creation with the actors who use the science. CIMARQ works alongside coastal communities and artisanal fishers in the Valparaíso Region in participatory projects that combine research with local knowledge; CSB works with farmers, mining operations and agri-food companies to bring solutions into practice. This engagement builds local capacity and carries findings into public decision-making. Results are translated into peer-reviewed publications, books, aquaculture manuals, technological developments and patents, making UNAB a bridge between fundamental research, industry adoption and policy. As a member of the Global Bioeconomy Alliance, UNAB brings to the network the perspective of a country where mining, agriculture and the ocean meet, and where bioeconomy solutions are tested under some of the most demanding environmental conditions in the world.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
This work contributes directly to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) — accelerating the transition toward more sustainable production systems in Chile and internationally.