The event will bring together startups, universities, defense companies, investors, and stakeholders in the R&D&I ecosystem, with the aim of positioning Chile as a regional leader in dual-use technologies.
From May 6 to 7, 2025, the University of Bío-Bío in Concepción will host theDual HubSummit 2025, the first gathering of dual innovation in Latin America.Organized by Know Hub Chile, the event will bring together startups, universities, defense sector companies, investors, and stakeholders from the R&D&I ecosystem, with the goal of positioning Chile as a leader in dual-use technologies in the region.
For the first time in Latin America, stakeholders from the civilian and defense sectors will come together around a common goal:to accelerate the country’s development through dual innovation.The event will take place in Concepción at the University of Bío Bío on May 6 and 7, as part of the Dual Hub Summit 2025, organized by Know Hub Chile.
The event—the first of its kind in the region—will mark a turning point in how we view technological innovation: not as an isolated effort, but as a synergy between universities, research centers, companies, startups, the Armed Forces, public agencies, and investors. All of this with a strategic goal:to create technological solutions that serve both the civilian and military sectors,thereby driving national growth and international influence.
The goal is to establish a platform for collaboration among the scientific community, the defense sector, industry, and the government to foster dual-use innovation in Chile, promoting technologies that address the country’s strategic challenges and generate public value, productive development, and technological capabilities with national and international impact.
“At Know Hub Chile, we firmly believe thata country’s development is built on trust, knowledge, and cooperation amongsectors that have often worked in isolation,” said Javier Ramírez, executive director of Know Hub Chile.
“That is why we have decided to create a space that brings together technological capabilities, national challenges, and multisectoral collaboration,” he added.
An agenda for envisioning the future
Over the course of two days, the Dual Hub Summit will address key questions regardingnational technological development: How do we work together to build a dual future? How can the defense sector drive regional industrial and technological development? How do we forge paths of collaboration between science, industry, and the government?
One of the main focuses will be theNational Continuous Shipbuilding Plan, which includes a series of initiatives aimed at revitalizing the country’s shipbuilding industry. As part of this effort, the Avante 04 program—developed in collaboration with the Chilean Navy—will be presented; it seeks to provide technological solutions stemming from the science, technology, knowledge, and innovation (STKI) ecosystem.
Innovation as a matter of public policy
Dual-use innovation is not merely a response to global threats;it is also a means of revitalizing the knowledge economy, generating quality jobs, and creating products that have a transformative impact on everyday life. From agricultural drones to cybersecurity technologies, the line between military and civilian applications is becoming increasingly blurred, opening up a wide range of opportunities for countries that strategically embrace this synergy.
Similarly, within the NATO framework, defense-related tech startups received $3.9 billion in investments during 2024. These figures reflect not only a response to growing global challenges but also a strategic commitment to technologies that eventually find natural pathways into civilian markets, such as robotics,artificial intelligence, and advanced communication systems.
The Dual Hub Summit 2025 is presented by Know Hub Chile and sponsored by Lockheed Martin. The event is supported by the Office of the Vice Rector for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Bío-Bío, the Ministry of Defense, the Biobío Regional Government, FIDAE, the Chilean Air Force, and the Chilean Navy’s Center for Technological Innovation.
Its funding comes from CORFO Bío-Bío, CORFO (the national agency), and the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID).
The event is supported by CORFO and ANID and sponsored by Lockheed Martin, thereby strengthening a joint effort between public and private sector stakeholders, both domestic and international.
The call for proposals aims to position Chile as a regional leader in dual-use innovation,contributing not only toeconomic development but also to the country’s technological autonomy and strategic security.
“What is commonplace today was once considered strategic. We want dual-use innovation to cease being the exception and become a standard practice of collaboration between science, industry, and defense,” Ramírez concluded.
To learn more about the program and sign up, visit:www.dualhub.cl