ITL closes its first Open Innovation Call: 8 projects selected and nearly US$50 million mobilized for the technological transition of mining and energy

The Institute of Clean Technologies (ITL) has completed the selection process for its first Open Innovation Call 2025, “Technological Challenges in Mining and the Energy Transition”, with eight projects joining its portfolio. The Institute committed a Contribution of US$24.6 million —within the framework of up to US$30 million defined for this call—complemented by US$25.3 million in co-investment provided by the participating entities. In total, the portfolio mobilizes close to US$50 million in technology-development investment, effectively doubling the Institute’s contribution.

The initiatives will be developed and validated under operational conditions, with a focus on the Northern Macrozone and especially the Antofagasta Region, addressing the two strategic lines of the call: lower-footprint mining (efficient material haulage, complex sulfide leaching and dust-emission control) and the energy transition (electricity storage and charging, e-mobility, and the operation of solar plants in the desert).

“With this first result, we have collaboratively built the first portfolio of projects to develop and validate industrial solutions. Northern Chile cannot limit itself to exporting minerals: it must export technological solutions and strengthen its value chain. ITL exists to be that permanent bridge between industry, academia, investors and the State,” said Carlos Portillo Silva, Chair of the ITL Board.

The process unfolded in seven consecutive stages between November 19, 2025 and June 3, 2026, and included a launch webinar, an official Q&A period, the OPEN ITL stakeholder-alignment session in Antofagasta, profiling and guided-development phases for each proposal, and a final evaluation based on technical merit, industrial impact, co-investment and alignment with the Institute’s challenges. The selected projects formalize their entry into the portfolio through the Co-investment and Technological Development Agreement.

“ITL is not a funder of external projects; ITL co-develops, provides testing infrastructure and supports development and validation under the extreme conditions of the Atacama Desert —altitude, dust, temperature— to remove technical and financial risks before scaling. Each selected project will leave installed capacities in the territory: knowledge, equipment and talent,” emphasized Patricio Aguilera Poblete, Executive Director of ITL..

The portfolio combines initiatives led by companies, technology centers and universities, bringing together ecosystem actors around industrial challenges. The solutions include second-life battery energy storage and fast-charging systems, intelligent platforms for managing mining e-mobility, monitoring and control of particulate-matter emissions, copper recovery from complex sulfides, autonomous solar-panel cleaning, and zero-emission electric monorail ore transport.

“The decentralization of innovation comes down to facts like this one. Having solutions for mining and energy developed and validated in Antofagasta, with local human capital and suppliers, is exactly the productive diversification the region needs,” said Ricardo Díaz Cortés, Regional Governor of Antofagasta.

The ITL Contribution comes from the R&D Contribution committed by Novandino Litio, which disburses it directly to ITL; Corfo oversees the agreement and verifies compliance with the disbursement conditions. To this is added the co-financing provided by the participating entities, ensuring the technical and financial co-responsibility of each initiative.

With the close of this first call, ITL consolidates its role as an innovation intermediary between industry, academia, entrepreneurs, investors and the State, contributing to the competitiveness and decarbonization of the country’s mining sector. The Institute invites ecosystem entities to join the second call, which opens on Monday, June 15, by submitting their technological challenges and co-developing solutions with its network of partners, with access to infrastructure and to concrete industry challenges.