With the visit of distinguished international evaluators, the Millennium Institute presented its five-year balance at the Universidad Andrés Bello, highlighting scientific advances, student training and the strengthening of global networks in particle physics.
On Wednesday, November 19, the five-year review meeting of the SAPHIR Millennium Institute was held at the Casona Campus of Andrés Bello University, marking a key milestone in the institute’s evaluation and strategic planning process. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress made during the first five years of operation, consolidate scientific and educational achievements, and identify the main challenges for the second half of the term.
The Millennium Institutes—funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)—are research initiatives of excellence with a duration of up to ten years. These institutions are characterized by their significant scientific impact, the development of advanced human capital, and their ability to coordinate interdisciplinary networks with national and international reach.
In this context, the public report was presented by Dr. Francisca Garay, deputy director of SAPHIR and a faculty member at the Institute of Physics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, who noted that this process “allowed us to come together as a group, discuss our issues, evaluate them, and outline our plans for the next five years.” Garay noted that, upon reviewing the work carried out, the team found that “we have accomplished a great deal; there were activities we had even forgotten about, but which show that we managed to organize ourselves and build a solid program,” emphasizing that this progress has been possible thanks to associate researchers, students, engineers, and technicians who “have been fundamental to the development of our research.”
The evaluation committee was composed of leading international scientists, including Professor R. Christof Wöll, who holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Göttingen and serves as director of the Institute of Functional Interfaces at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), renowned for his work in surface physics and chemistry, the development of advanced characterization techniques, and the study of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs); and Brazilian physicist Dr. Ignacio De Bediaga, who holds a PhD from the University of Turin and is a full professor at the Brazilian Center for Physics Research (CBPF), a specialist in experimental high-energy physics, and coordinator of INCT CERN Brazil. For Sergey Kuleshov, director of the SAPHIR Millennium Institute and full professor at the Faculty of Exact Sciences at UNAB, having evaluators of this caliber is essential, as “they are top-tier individuals with extensive experience,” noting further that “these people understand us, and that is very important,” which reinforces the relevance and rigor of the international evaluation process.
ANID representative Mauricio Maldonado explained that the five-year evaluation analyzes how the center has performed during its first five years and reviews the continuity plan for the next period. Maldonado emphasized that this is a “binding” process, since if the international peers determine that performance is insufficient, the center may not be allowed to continue. He added that this evaluation ensures that “public resources are being spent wisely and effectively,” and that the Millennium Program meets its objectives of fostering research excellence, training young researchers, promoting national and international collaborations, and strengthening the dissemination of knowledge.
The educational impact of SAPHIR was also highlighted during the event. Jaime Romero, a researcher at the SAPHIR Millennium Institute and a member of the Chilean Center for Nuclear Energy (CCHEN), noted that collaboration with various institutions has been “highly productive,” enabling the training of students, trips to CERN to participate in experiments, and contributions to the development of detectors used in international research. Romero, who will be a lecturer at the first edition of the CERN Summer School in Chile, added that interaction with students from multiple universities has been particularly valuable, since “many do internships and then continue their theses in our teams,” thereby strengthening the country’s scientific networks.
For Andrés Bello University, one of SAPHIR’s host institutions, this five-year period represents a significant achievement. Pierre Romagnoli, dean of the School of Exact Sciences, said it was hard to believe how much progress had been made in such a short time, noting that “in five years, we’ve accomplished so much.” He recalled that the work carried out since 2018 was key to Chile’s admission to CERN, as the team demonstrated “the ability to contribute with concrete developments.” Romagnoli also highlighted the institute’s collaborative spirit, noting that “here there is no rivalry between institutions; we all work together,” mirroring the international model of cooperation that characterizes CERN.
The event concluded with a sense of pride and optimism: after five years of operation, SAPHIR has successfully established a robust program of research, training, and international collaboration, positioning itself as a key player in the development of particle physics in Chile.
