Inria Chile welcomes representatives from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Embassy in Chile

On May 28, a delegation led by David Bertolotti, Deputy Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; accompanied by Thibault Samson, Deputy Director for South America at the Ministry and by the French Ambassador to Chile, Cyrille Rogeau, and the Director of the French Institute of Chile and Advisor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy in Chile, Patrick Flot. The delegation was welcomed by Nayat Sánchez-Pi, Director of Inria Chile, and her team. The purpose of the visit was to tour Inria’s only research center outside France.

During the visit, Nayat Sánchez-Pi presented the center's 14-year trajectory in Chile, its R&D projects, particularly its AI initiatives for the environment and for astronomy and its observatories; its Franco-Chilean ecosystem, which includes universities, research centers, companies, public institutions, and international organizations; and she also outlined the various ecosystem support programs that Inria Chile has driven since 2018. Additionally, she briefed the delegation on the progress of the Franco-Chilean Binational Center on Artificial Intelligence, an initiative established by Inria and Chile’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation, and operated by Inria Chile that aims to strengthen collaboration between the AI ecosystems of both countries.

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Inria Chile/ Foto J. Allirot

The visit enabled the delegation to learn about Inria Chile’s role in supporting France’s higher education and research ecosystem, as well as its efforts to attract and train talent in Chile, generating an exchange with French students conducting research internships at the Center in 2026: four students from the grandes écoles of engineering INSA Lyon, ENSAE, and ENSTA  who are currently doing research internships of 4 to 6 months at the Center.