International GIST Hub Workshop in Chile

We kicked off the first International GIST Hub Workshop in Santiago de Chile with a full and inspiring week!

The program combined in-depth discussions, thought-provoking talks, and valuable networking with experts from Latin America, plus a chance to experience urban transitions first-hand while exploring Santiago.

Day 1 – Innovation, Environment & Society
We started the day at the Heidelberg Center para América Latina, warmly welcomed by Director Inés Recio.

Panel 1: Innovation & Society
• Prof. Jelena Spanjol – Radical innovation, impact entrepreneurship, healthcare & wellbeing
• Paul Vilchez – Indigenous entrepreneurship in Peru and imagining new futures
• Prof. Jonathan Barton – Panarchy and sustainability transitions in the salmon industry
• Prof. Johannes Rehner – Just energy transitions: Chile’s lithium industry in a geopolitical context

Panel 2: Resources & Environment
• Prof. Eveline Dürr, Dr. Valeska Díaz, Meret Haack – Planetary healing, (de)colonization & climate change
• Prof. Benjamin Loy & Prof. Wolfgang Bongers – Aesthetics of eco-cultural interdependencies
• Prof. Sebastian Ureta – Citizen technoscience and public participation in times of socio-environmental crisis
• Prof. Cristian Simonetti – Protecting glaciers in times of planetary crisis

Later, we were welcomed at the Centro de Innovación of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile by Prof. María Angélica Fellenberg Plaza (Vice President for Research, UC) and Susanne Fries-Gaier (German Ambassador to Chile). Prof. Johannes Glückler then offered an outlook on the future of the GIST Hub.

The highlight of the day: a 1.5-hour panel discussion on Innovation & Energy Transition – an especially relevant topic for Chile, considering its role in rare metal production.

Day 2 – Sustainability in Practice, Water Security & Urban Transformations
We started day two with another engaging round of talks and discussions by our GIST Hub members!

Panel 1: Innovation & Society
• Dr. Marcelo F. de la Cruz – Narratives, future making & food sustainability
• Prof. Alejandro Espinosa-Rada – Sustainability science in practice: from global challenges to interdisciplinary collaboration
• Dr. Carlos Alberto Haas – History in Munich: exploring the past at LMU and partner institutions
• Prof. José Ragas – Snow trade and access to cold temperatures in Lima: the history of the snow and ice trade

Panel 2: Resources & Environment
• Prof. Dr. Karen Pittel – Water and climate change: from global dynamics to local challenges
• Prof. Dr. Fernando Purcell – Glacier exploitation and droughts in 20th-century Chile: a transnational perspective
• Prof. Dr. Martin Tironi – Hybrid ecologies: grounding artificial intelligence in planetary conditions

In the afternoon, participants could choose from a range of optional activities tailored to their interests. Estefani Rondón Toro, Ph.D. and Luiz Fernando Krieger Merico from the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) talked with part of the group about sustainable transition topics. We discussed the development of sustainability indicators for public procurement – an issue that we also pick up on in our research project on Local Public Procurement.

After that, Prof. Johannes Rehner showed our participants Santiago’s Brasil and Yungay neighborhoods, offering them a first-hand look at urban transitions. The day concluded with a collective dinner in Barrio Yungay, reflecting on the exchange and new insights gained during the day.

Day 3 – Energy Transition, NGO Work & Goodbyes
On our final day, we explored different perspectives on Chile’s energy transition — guided by our colleagues and experts Denise Gutiérrez and Claudio López, who both work on our Public Procurement in Chile and Peru project examining how local procurement influences regional development.

Estefanía González welcomed us to the NGO Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA), where we gained valuable insights into the dilemmas and contradictions of the energy transition from a Latin American viewpoint.

Together with Claudio, we then visited the Energy Center at the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Universidad de Chile. We were welcomed by Prof. Rodrigo Palma and director Prof. Willy Kracht and combined our diverse expertise and disciplinary backgrounds to discuss the opportunities and challenges of energy transitions in Chile.

As we concluded the workshop, we looked back on three days filled with stimulating exchanges, strong collaboration, and genuine enthusiasm. We are deeply grateful for the active participation of our guests and GIST Hub members – and for the warm reception from local stakeholders.

A huge thank you to all participants for their insightful contributions, and to the Chilean organizing team led by Prof. Johannes Rehner for their effort and warm hospitality. Your hard work made this workshop such a success for all participants!