The founding momentum soon crystallized into a national undertaking: the Millennium Institute for Fundamental and Applied Biology (MIFAB). Conceived to raise the quality and impact of Chilean science to international standards, MIFAB was launched with the support of the Millennium Science Initiative. Its purpose was twofold: to produce original basic and applied knowledge and to build a critical mass of researchers, while building bridges with industry. Under the direction of Pablo Valenzuela, the Institute set out a plan on four fronts: highly collaborative intramural research; graduate training through courses, internships, and symposia; top-tier international networks; and creative programs to connect biology with health and productive sectors, along with outreach initiatives to improve public understanding of biotechnology. In its research lines, MIFAB prioritized the molecular bases of cellular function and regulation, and an applied stream in the genetics of pathogens relevant to Chile—from hantavirus to pathogens affecting salmon aquaculture—addressed by a consortium of researchers with recognized national and international leadership. The composition of the team—with multiple Presidential Chairs and strong anchoring in Chilean universities—gave the Institute academic reach that fostered the training of students and postdocs and consolidated exchanges with laboratories in Latin America and beyond. MIFAB proved that frontier science with local relevance was possible, and it left installed capacities that would be essential for the next institutional leap: securing long-term Basal funding.

The year 2008 marked a turning point: Fundación Ciencia & Vida was selected in the first call of CONICYT’s Basal Financing Program for Centers of Scientific and Technological Excellence, consolidating a long-term model for scientific development. The Basal program not only provided stable resources for several years; it also demanded high standards of productivity, international networking, human-capital training, technology transfer, and outreach. For the Foundation, the award meant integrating and scaling research lines in immunology, virology/microbiology, molecular biology, and plant biotechnology, strengthening the interaction among the laboratory, the clinic, and productive sectors. In parallel, graduate and outreach programs were expanded, and partnerships with national and international centers of excellence were deepened. Beyond financing, the Basal program entailed a performance contract: goals, indicators, and periodic evaluations that compelled the Foundation to professionalize its scientific and communications management and to articulate a public narrative about the value of science for development. That learning—governance, metrics, impact—would prove decisive in facing the program’s renewal a decade later.

On November 25, 2019, Universidad San Sebastián and Fundación Ciencia & Vida announced an academic and scientific alliance to “unite teaching and research activities” and to shape a joint Science and Bio-entrepreneurship Park, with operations beginning in 2020. This joint effort represented the convergence of two complementary strengths: the Foundation’s critical mass, platforms, and culture of innovation; and USS’s academic, clinical, and territorial reach. As a result, advanced training capacities were amplified, new opportunities for translational research were enabled, and the insertion of scientific work into society was strengthened. The shared commitment to scientific development in dialogue with higher education, health, and the knowledge economy acted as a catalyst for new initiatives—from centers and laboratories to graduate programs and ventures—consolidating a hub of science and bio-entrepreneurship with a public vocation and international projection. This milestone contributes to Fundación Ciencia & Vida’s founding mission: to pursue excellent science, train talent, and transform that knowledge into value for Chile

After the first phase, the Foundation applied for and again secured Basal funding in the 2017 call (code AFB170004), ensuring continuity and growth for the following period. This second award recognized the accumulated scientific and technology-transfer results, while setting new goals: internationalization, consolidation of technological platforms, attraction of young researchers, and expansion of the innovation portfolio. The renewal coincided with institutional changes in the system: in 2020, CONICYT was replaced by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), and the Ministry of Science drove a reorganization of the Centers of Excellence. The second award reaffirmed the value of a comprehensive approach—frontier research, advanced training, international collaboration, and outreach—and strengthened the Foundation’s position as a key actor in Chile’s science, technology, knowledge, and innovation ecosystem.