University of Concepción rejoins regional development forum in Biobío

The University of Concepción (UdeC) has been readmitted to the Instituto Regional de Administración de Empresas (IRADE), the main business forum of Chile's Biobío Region. The welcome ceremony, held on the eve of the Regional Business Encounter (EREDE) in Los Ángeles, was attended by the full IRADE board, several ministers, and former President Eduardo Frei, and introduced rector Jacqueline Sepúlveda as the university’s new representative.

Rector Sepúlveda, who began her term only weeks ago, has pursued meetings with a wide range of regional actors—including the Chamber of Production and Commerce of Biobío, Desarrolla Biobío, the regional governments of Biobío and Ñuble, the municipality of Concepción, and Corfo Biobío and Ñuble—as well as national figures such as Science Minister Ximena Lincoln, Central Bank President Rossana Costa, Comptroller General Dorothy Pérez, TVN president Patricio Dussaillant, and El Mercurio vice‑president Cristián Edwards. The university aims to move from occasional interaction to a central role in shaping the economic and productive future of the Biobío Region and Chile as a whole.