SANTIAGO, CHILE – The international cooperation between the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and its global strategic partners just took another important step. Led by Rear Adm. David J. Hahn, Chief of Naval Research, ONR leadership met at ONR headquarters in Arlington, Va. for a two-day visit with Rear Adm. Ramiro Navajas, Director of Programs, Research and Development, and Cmdr. Francisco Mackay, Department Head of Research, Innovation and Development of the Chilean Navy.
The delegation participated in a tour at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the location where basic and applied scientific research and technological development and prototyping takes place for the Navy and the Marine Corps. For the Chilean leadership it was an opportunity to observe specific research topics and technologies of interest for the Navy, as well as the scientific and academic communities in Chile.
Hahn emphasized the important role our strategic international partners have in supporting ONR’s mission of accelerating technology transition to the fleet. “We have a long history of engagement with the Chilean Navy, and the excellent fundamental research being done in Chile is one of the main reasons we opened the ONR Global office in Santiago in 2002,” he said. “This is an exciting time for the Chilean Navy. Rear Adm. Navajas and his team are creating an agile R&D organization to ignite innovation, and we look forward to the successful outcomes of our future research collaborations, benefiting both navies.”
The international presence of ONR is represented by ONR Global (ONRG) and its six strategically located offices around the globe—Santiago, Sao Paulo, London, Prague, Singapore and Tokyo—with a focus in promoting collaboration with international scientists, sponsoring exchange visits, conferences and workshops, and providing seed funding for projects that foster collaboration between U.S. Navy personnel, scientists and technologists around the world.
Navajas stated that “our visit to ONR has materialized in a perfect opportunity to not only strengthen our ties with the Naval Research Enterprise (NRE), but also to gain knowledge of how the organization manages all research, development and innovation processes. We are heading back to Chile with numerous research projects ideas, with the aim to bolster the scientific engagement between both institutions.”
The visit to NRL therefore will provide important background for the Chilean Navy’s two main research and development divisions: DIPRIDA—specifically overseeing research and development programs—and CITA, the center for technological research, supervising all research, innovation and development initiatives in the scientific and technological fields, by using the synergy of the local and international R&D ecosystem.
About the Office of Naval Research
The Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research provides the science and technology necessary to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps’ technological advantage. Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader in science and technology with engagement in 50 states, 55 countries, 634 institutions of higher learning and nonprofit institutions, and more than 960 industry partners. ONR, through its commands, including headquarters, ONR Global and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., employs more than 3,800 people, comprising uniformed, civilian and contract personnel.
