Recently, Strategic Studies Department (DEE) of Universidad de Concepción (UdeC) reported the decision of National Accreditation Commission (CNA) that granted a seven-year accreditation period, starting on April 25, 2018, to the PhD Program in Applied Sciences with a minor in Mathematical Engineering of this university. This program, gathered by the Center for Research for Mathematical Engineering, CI²MA, is directed by Dr. Raimund Bürger, academician from the Department of Mathematical Engineering (DIM).

This accreditation implies an increase of one year in the accredited period, given that in the exactly previous process, the program had obtained a term of six years. In this regard, Professor Bürger explained that “although the maximum period of accreditation of a Postgraduate Program is 10 years, and some UdeC programs have been accredited for 8, the obtained result is quite favorable. The CNA will send us, within a month or so, the resolution with the respective foundation, comments and minor aspects to improve. It is important, for now, that students are certain to be able to apply for scholarships of the National Commission of Scientific and Technological Research (Conicyt) in the next concourses”, emphasized Bürger who is also a researcher and Sub-Director of CI²MA, in which role, he also specified that “in my opinion, the most important thing to reach this progress has been to implement, cultivate, propagate and expand a research environment of excellence at the highest level. Our research activity has an impact on the PhD Program, since the high level of productivity of the Numerical Analysis Group has attracted Chilean PhD students from six Latin American countries who are preparing their theses, or wish to do so, in this area. They can also benefit from a wide network of contacts with collaborators that we have in about 20 countries”.

In turn, Director of CI²MA, Dr. Gabriel Gatica, highlighted the work carried out by Professor Bürger at the head of the Doctorate. “The re-accreditation of our PhD for 7 more years is not only a great news that makes us very happy, but it is also a clear and tangible consequence of the extraordinary work that Raimund Bürger has done as Program Director. From my privileged position to see him every day how, in addition to his outstanding and productive work in teaching and research, he gives all the necessary time to our Doctorate to continue to grow and develop, there is nothing left but to congratulate him very sincerely and with great pleasure for everything achieved”, he emphasizes.

According to the CNA, the accreditation of doctoral programs aims to certify the quality of the programs offered by the autonomous institutions of higher education, based on the purposes declared by the institution that provides them and the criteria or standards established for this objective by the corresponding scientific or disciplinary community. Some of the criteria that were measured in the evaluation of the Doctorate and that allowed obtaining the 7 years, are the faculty, with special attention in their scientific and academic contribution, measured in number of ISI publications and direction of thesis works, among other indicators.