Science Up

What Science Up does

Science Up (Consorcio Science Up) is a non-profit university consortium formed by three Chilean public universities — Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Usach), and Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) — operating under the national 'Ciencia e Innovación para el 2030' programme. Headquartered in Valparaíso with offices across Santiago and Antofagasta, the consortium was established in 2018 and is currently in its second implementation stage (2021-2026). It is funded primarily by Chile's National Research and Development Agency (ANID) and CORFO, and employs 51-100 staff. Its mission is to transform science faculties toward innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer capabilities.

The consortium's product portfolio is programme-based rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include: Growing Up (Cuéntanos tu Idea — a six-workshop ideation track, and Ejecuta tu Idea — a five-month validation programme with up to $1M CLP per student project); Nexus (collaborative thesis funding up to $2M CLP); Innova en el Aula (up to $2M CLP per academic for curricular innovation); VincuLAB (up to $3M CLP for industry-academia applied research); and Programa de Rápida Implementación (technology maturation). Supporting infrastructure includes the Academia Maker online learning platform (8 courses), the physical Curauma Makerspace at PUCV (fabrication labs, electronics, VR, coworking), and the Red de Mentoras mentorship network addressing gender gaps in STEM. Notable outputs include the Kiwiphage bacteriophage technology licensed to Agroadvance SpA (6-year agreement, 2023) and the MagVISC spin-off Phynovo SpA, which secured $131.171M CLP from ANID's Start-Up Ciencia 2025.

Business model: Science Up is fully grant-funded and does not charge participants. Revenue mechanics consist of multi-year public grants (ANID/CORFO block funding 2021-2026, FIUF grants of 100M CLP per university in 2024) plus competitive sub-grants distributed to students and academics. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on university communication infrastructure, open application calls (Google Forms/email), student delegate networks (8 per university), social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube), Mailchimp newsletters, and university-hosted events. Customer segments are students and academics at the three consortium universities (no enterprise pricing tier), with industry partnerships (e.g., Agroadvance SpA, Aguas Santiago Poniente, Comunidad Mujer) functioning as ecosystem collaborators rather than revenue sources.

Name

Science Up

Legal name

Consorcio Science Up

Website

https://scienceup.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Science Up is a Chilean university consortium (PUCV, UCN, Usach) funded by ANID and CORFO that runs grant-based programmes — Growing Up, Nexus, Innova en el Aula, VincuLAB, and makerspace infrastructure — to build innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer capabilities in science faculties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAEAGAI

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Library, Media Center & Learning Space Operations

SECONDARYEDANAKAI

Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects)

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Enrichment & Advanced/Accelerated Tutoring (Gifted/AP/IB)

SECONDARYBPAIAAAK

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Central/Federal Government Administration

Keywords

• University consortium programs
• Entrepreneurship education
• Technology transfer services
• Maker education
• Innovation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Valparaiso

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Programme Funding (ANID/CORFO): Science Up is funded under the 'Ciencia e Innovación para el 2030' programme by Chile's National Research and Development Agency (ANID) and CORFO. The initiative is in its second stage (2021-2026), following a first stage (2018-2020). Funding supports programme implementation across three universities: PUCV, UCN, and Usach.
2. Student Project Grants and Programme Financing: The consortium distributes competitive grant funding to student and academic projects. Nexus programme provides up to $2,000,000 CLP per collaborative thesis project. Growing Up: Ejecuta tu Idea provides up to $1,000,000 CLP per student project. Innova en el Aula awards up to $2,000,000 CLP per academic project. VincuLAB provides $2,500,000 base plus $500,000 for student interns. These are grants, not revenue, but represent fund deployment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Science Up is a Chilean university consortium that delivers free, grant-funded programmes to science faculty students and academics at PUCV, UCN, and Usach. Its portfolio includes entrepreneurship training (Growing Up: Cuéntanos tu Idea / Ejecuta tu Idea), collaborative thesis funding (Nexus), curricular innovation grants (Innova en el Aula), industry-academia linkage (VincuLAB), technology maturation support (Rápida Implementación), a women-in-STEM mentorship network (Red de Mentoras), an online learning platform (Academia Maker), and a physical makerspace (Curauma Makerspace).

Product overview

Science Up is a consortium focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer across three Chilean science faculties (PUCV, UCN, and Usach). The portfolio includes educational platforms (Academia Maker), multiple funding and acceleration programs (Growing Up, Nexus, VincuLAB, Innova en el Aula, Rápida Implementación), a physical makerspace (Curauma Makerspace), and a mentorship network (Red de Mentoras). Rather than a unified software product, the consortium operates as a coordination body offering programs and physical infrastructure to foster scientific-technological entrepreneurship and gender equity in science education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academia Maker: Online educational platform offering courses in creative development, innovation, design and communication, and technological immersion and entrepreneurship.
• Curauma Makerspace

Products and services

• Academia Maker Online learning platform offering 8 courses covering ideation methodologies, regenerative solutions, problem exploration, pitch artistry, Arduino programming, digital fabrication, entrepreneurship ecosystems, and funding sources. Provides flexible self-paced access so students at PUCV, UCN, and Usach can build personalised learning routes across creative development, innovation, design, communication, technology immersion, and entrepreneurship.
• Programa Growing Up: Cuéntanos tu Idea Six-workshop virtual programme that helps science faculty students develop scientific-technological entrepreneurship ideas, covering entrepreneurship concepts, communication, leadership, problem-solving, business models, and strategic financing. Open to students from PUCV, UCN, and Usach via open application calls.
• Programa Growing Up: Ejecuta tu Idea Five-month accompaniment programme providing up to $1,000,000 CLP per project in validation financing, plus mentoring, workshops, and support for students to mature science-based technological entrepreneurship projects.
• Programa Nexus Programme providing $1,200,000 CLP per project (up to $2,000,000 CLP with student mobility) to fund collaborative theses or degree projects between academic units within or across the three consortium universities, promoting applied research, innovation, and technology transfer.
• Programa Innova en el Aula Programme providing up to $2,000,000 CLP per project for academics to implement new teaching methodologies in science faculties, fostering innovative and entrepreneurial spirit among students through classroom innovation projects.
• Programa VincuLAB Applied research subsidy programme providing up to $3,000,000 CLP per project ($2,500,000 CLP base plus $500,000 CLP for incorporating undergraduate or graduate student interns) linking academic research with public or private sector entities.
• Curauma Makerspace Physical maker space at PUCV Faculty of Sciences equipped with Creative Lab, New Materials Lab, Electronics Workshop, Cowork Space, Virtual Reality Room, and Digital/Analog Fabrication Workshop, supporting prototyping, hypothesis validation, and agile prototype development for students and academics.
• Red de Mentoras Women-focused mentorship network under the Leadership and Female Participation axis, connecting female scientists and students with experienced mentors to address gender gaps in STEM and support career development across the three consortium universities.
• Programa de Rápida Implementación Programme supporting researchers in achieving key milestones for technology maturation, including prototype development, validation, and technology transfer activities to move science-based innovations toward market readiness.

Quantifiable outcome

• MagVISC EBCT advanced from Science Up programme to secure $131.171M CLP ANID Start-Up Ciencia 2025 funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Phynovo SpAminorOthers · 1 January 2025EBCT co-founded by Pablo Silva, Elías Santacruz, and Francisca Rojas (PUCV). MagVISC technology originated from Science Up's Growing Up programme, progressed through the Technology Valorization Programme (Science Up + OTL), and secured $131.171M CLP from ANID Start-Up Ciencia 2025.
• Agroadvance SpAcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 April 2023Licensed the Kiwiphage technology (bacteriophage solution against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae affecting kiwi crops) from PUCV, via Science Up's Rapid Implementation Programme. Signed a 6-year license agreement in 2023, enabling market deployment nationally and internationally. This represents a successful technology transfer case from Science Up incubation to commercial deployment.
• Comunidad MujercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Conducted the first training workshop for establishing the Science Up Mentoras Network. Comunidad Muier's Centro de Liderazgo trained academics and professionals from Science Up's Leadership and Female Participation axis across all three universities on mentorship programme design and global best practices.
• Valparaíso MakerSpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Science Up to host the Maker_Labs workshop cycle in sciences. An external makerspace partner providing complementary maker education resources to the consortium ecosystem.
• Curauma Makerspace (PUCV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Up's in-house makerspace at PUCV Faculty of Science. Supports student and academic projects with fabrication tools, electronics workshops, VR, and coworking. Led by Nicolás Mora (Innovation and Creativity Manager). Developed collaborative biological models for the Institute of Biology's Immunology course.
• Aguas Santiago PonienteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanitary company that provided access to secondary wastewater effluents (before and after chlorination) to the SolPhEFen student project for water characterization and validation studies, enabling real-world testing of the solar-based emerging contaminant treatment technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• SPARK Global (Stanford-affiliated translational research program): University-based translational research program with affiliates in multiple countries focused on moving academic inventions toward proof-of-concept and commercialization. Comparable in mission (bridging academic science and applied commercialization through grants and mentorship) and multi-institution structure.

Direct peers

• Laboratoria: LATAM-focused tech education social enterprise training women in web development across Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. Comparable as a regional multi-country program focused on building innovation capacity among underrepresented groups in STEM-adjacent fields.
• Endeavor Chile: Chilean arm of global high-impact entrepreneur network supporting founders through mentoring and ecosystem connections. Comparable in mission (advancing entrepreneurship and innovation capacity in Chile), regional scope, and program-based delivery.
• Start-Up Chile: CORFO-funded Chilean government program providing equity-free seed capital, mentoring, and networking for early-stage startups. Directly comparable as a Chilean public-sector innovation initiative targeting founders, with similar community-led GTM and grant-based funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design): Stanford's design-thinking and maker education program offering interdisciplinary project-based learning, prototyping spaces, and curricular innovation. Comparable in mission (transforming faculty practice toward innovation and maker education) and delivery format, but within a single top-tier university.
• MIT Sandbox (MIT Industrial Liaison Program / Martin Trust Center): MIT's flagship entrepreneurship ecosystem offering seed funding, mentorship, and maker spaces (including MIT Maker Workshop) to MIT-affiliated students. Comparable in operating model — university-anchored makerspace + seed grants + mentorship pipeline — but at a single elite institution rather than a consortium.
• Wayra (Telefónica Open Innovation): Telefónica's corporate-backed open-innovation hub operating across Spain and LATAM, providing accelerator programs, corporate venture investment, and maker infrastructure. Comparable as a LATAM tech-entrepreneurship program with grant/funding mechanisms and university connections, but driven by a corporate parent rather than universities.
• KIC InnoEnergy (now InnoEnergy): EU-backed consortium of universities and corporates accelerating sustainable energy innovation through education, incubation, and investment. Comparable as a multi-institution publicly funded innovation consortium with education-to-commercialization pipeline, but at larger European scale and energy-focused mandate.

Others

• Comunidad Mujer: Chilean non-profit organization advancing women's leadership and gender equity, which partnered with Science Up to design the Red de Mentoras mentorship network. Comparable as a Chilean ecosystem partner focused on women-in-STEM capacity building and a direct strategic collaborator.

Regional players

• Universidad de Chile - Centro de Innovación (UChile Innovation Center): Universidad de Chile's technology transfer and innovation center providing incubation, IP management, and startup support for university research. Comparable in operating model (Chilean university-anchored innovation and tech-transfer office), but as a single-institution unit rather than a cross-university consortium.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Scienceup_cl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@consorcioscienceup
• Facebookfacebook.com/scienceup.cl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scienceup-cl
• Instagraminstagram.com/scienceup.cl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Science Up