Chilean Science Minister visits ESO Headquarters

Today, Aisén Etcheverry, the Chilean Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, accompanied by Gonzalo Arenas, the Ministry’s Head of International Relations and Maria Soledad Morales, Chilean Consul to Bavaria and Baden-Wütternberg visited the ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. The visit, the first of a Chilean science minister to ESO’s facilities in Germany, provided an opportunity to further strengthen ties between ESO and Chile. The close collaborative relationship between ESO and Chile goes back over 60 years and has allowed the organisation to operate its telescopes at unique observing sites in Chile, while generating business opportunities and contributing to the development of Chilean astronomy. 

The visitors were hosted by ESO Director General, Xavier Barcons, and ESO’s ‎Head of the Executive Office of the Director General & Head of Legal and Institutional Affairs, Laura Comendador Frutos. Following an opening presentation about ESO’s value chain and its societal impact by Barcons, ESO staff gave presentations on topics including technology development, opportunities for industry and science data management at ESO. The Chile delegation later had exchanges with several ESO staff members, including the Chilean staff working at the ESO Headquarters. 

After the presentations, Minister Etcheverry and her delegation were given a tour of the facilities at the Garching site, including a stop at ESO’s Large Integration Hall. This is where some telescope components, including those for the upcoming ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, are prepared and tested.  

ESO Director General Xavier Barcons said: “Chile has been a partner and host state to ESO for over 60 years, and we are very honoured to welcome Science Minister Etcheverry to our headquarters in Garching. This visit is an exciting opportunity to explore ways to strengthen our international collaboration, for the benefit of both ESO and Chile.” 

Minister Aisén Etcheverry said: “Chile is renowned as the global astronomical capital, and behind the remarkable scientific discoveries lies a tremendous amount of engineering, electronics, and digital technologies development that numerous Chilean men and women contribute to. To gain deeper insights into these experiences and prepare for a future joint industry day, we visited the ESO headquarters in Garching to acquire firsthand knowledge of the cutting-edge technological advancements that will undoubtedly hold immense interest for the Chilean industry.”

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory