As part of the activities under the Call for Proposals to leverage BELLA connectivity, launched by the SPIDER project and RedCLARA, the first inspirational talk was held, titled "AI for Borderless Scientific Discovery: The Case of the ALeRCE Astronomical Broker." This session aimed to highlight innovation and collaboration opportunities in the scientific field through artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and shared digital resources.
The talk was led by Francisco Förster, a Chilean astrophysicist, Director of the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), and Professor at the Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative of the University of Chile. During his presentation, Förster explained the functionality and significance of ALeRCE (Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events), an astronomical broker that processes, classifies, and distributes real-time data generated by telescopes designed for systematic and continuous sky observation.
This system allows the identification and analysis of transient space events, such as supernovae, asteroids, and gamma-ray bursts, alerting the scientific community immediately. Förster detailed that ALeRCE, powered by AI and Big Data, processes data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope, located at Palomar Observatory in California, USA, and is preparing to operate with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently under construction in Cerro Pachón, Chile. This project is led by Chilean institutions, including the University of Chile, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), with international collaboration.
The expert emphasized that this project required the integration of multiple disciplines, involving not only astronomers but also data scientists, engineers, and other specialists. Since its launch in 2012, ALeRCE has been a long-term collaborative effort that has required dedication and teamwork to achieve these results.
In this context, Paola Arellano, Executive Director of REUNA, Chile, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in initiatives like ALeRCE. She emphasized that integrating data, AI, and computational capabilities can generate new opportunities in various fields. She also noted that this Call for Proposals seeks to foster innovative solutions, as AI and Big Data-based technologies are expanding opportunities in sectors ranging from astronomy and space exploration to healthcare, climate change, industry, and crisis management.
Arellano explained that the Call for Proposals is open not only to the academic community but also to entrepreneurs and innovators who can utilize infrastructures such as BELLA, dedicated networks, high-performance computing (HPC), and collaborative platforms. The initiative has no participation restrictions and encourages startups, universities, large infrastructures, organizations, collaborations, and even governmental entities working on technology and digital transformation in fields such as astronomy, border management, and port operations.
The Call for Ideas, organized by the SPIDER project and RedCLARA, aims to stimulate the collaborative development of projects and ventures that utilize BELLA’s infrastructure to drive digital transformation between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, with a human-centered approach.
Interested individuals can apply until April 4 via the official website. Concept notes must be submitted by April 9, and evaluations will take place from April 10 to April 25. The final selection of proposals will be announced on April 28. Selected participants will receive visibility for their projects, connections with investors and key players in the digital ecosystem, participation in webinars, two hours of personalized mentorship, media exposure, and the opportunity to present the ten best proposals at the call’s closing event.
The next inspirational talk will take place on Wednesday, March 26, featuring Carla Osthoff, Coordinator of the National Center for High-Performance Computing (CENAPAD) at Brazil’s National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC). LNCC is a key institution providing high-performance computing (HPC) resources to the scientific and academic community. Her presentation will focus on "The Brazilian Supercomputing System in the Latin American and European HPC and AI Research Scenario."
The final inspirational talk will be held on Wednesday, April 2, with its topic to be announced soon.
