Since 2023, the Regional Innovation Center Los Lagos and the guild of AmiChile They seek to promote innovation in the mussel farming sector, a branch considered one of the most important at a national level, with Chile being the world's leading exporter of mussels (chorito), whose production is concentrated by 80% in Chiloé province.
The mutual collaboration process began with a contextualization phase, where different areas of innovation have been analyzed. This stage included exits to the ground to interact directly with producers, as well as in-depth analysis of relevant studies and reports. In addition, strategic meetings were held with Carolina Rojas, head of the Technical Area of the Institute of Mussel Farming INTEMIT and Yohana González, General Manager of AmiChile, to jointly establish the main innovation hotspots.
Within the framework of this collaborative work, 12 key challenges for the sector were identified. Each of these challenges has been thoroughly described and published, with the aim of attracting the attention of entrepreneurs and innovators capable of providing significant solutions. This call generated notable interest, with a total of 47 applications received.
For Yohana González, general manager of AmiChile, this collaboration with the Regional Innovation Centre represents an important milestone for the mussel farming sector. "Identifying 12 key challenges has generated interest from 47 startups, demonstrating the potential for innovation in our industry," highlights Gonzalez. "The next step is to work together to turn these ideas into tangible projects that drive progress and sustainability in the sector. This collaboration is essential to face the challenges we face and continue moving forward on this path towards innovation."
The next step has involved an exhaustive analysis by the Regional Innovation Center, evaluating each of the proposals received and knowing the entrepreneurs behind them. As a result of this process, a total of 37 solutions were validated, which have been presented to the guild using Pitch methodologies.
Alejandro Velásquez, Director of Innovation and Industries at the Regional Innovation Center, highlighted the willingness and willingness of the union to work together “From the beginning we consider mussel cultivation to be one of the most important productive sectors in the region and the country, so we work side by side with Yohana González, as representative and manager of the guild, as well as with producers and SMEs of the sector, always supporting sustainable development and new ideas to face the challenges that the industry imposes to improve processes.”
Some of the challenges identified in the field are related to optimizing the identification and characterization of mussel seed by means of artificial intelligence, creating a complete solution to identify and quantify mussel species on mussel hangers using sensor technology and data analysis of spectral signatures of each species, as well as the challenge of facilitating traceability registration in the loading of trucks, containers and the optimization of industrial processes, among other challenges.
In a subsequent phase, the selected projects will be re-socialized with the guild to start a product development process. As a result of this joint work, 4 solutions have presented concrete commercial proposals, thus marking a significant step towards the implementation of innovation in the mussel cultivation sector.
