Chile’s new National Strategy for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation 2026 has placed the sustainable development of lithium and salt flats among the country’s eight fast-track priorities, underscoring the growing strategic importance of one of its most consequential natural resources.
The strategy, launched on May 26 at La Moneda Presidential Palace, identifies the National Institute for Lithium and Salars, known as INLiSa, as a central institution in advancing one of the country’s eight “Transformative Projects.” The document assigns the institute a coordinating role in long-term scientific and technological research on salt flats, with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, technological development and territorial well-being.
The lithium initiative appears as the second of the strategy’s priority projects, under the heading: “Chile leading the sustainable lithium industry: long-term STI integrating environmental, social and economic dimensions of lithium and salt flats.” In that framework, INLiSa is presented as a key component in building the scientific capacity needed to support a more responsible and evidence-based lithium industry.
The inclusion of INLiSa in the strategy reflects a broader effort by the Chilean state to strengthen governance around lithium through scientific evidence, public coordination and long-term research. The institute is expected to help connect government, academia, industry and local territories, while generating the technological knowledge needed to protect salt-flat ecosystems and position Chile more effectively in a global industry increasingly tied to the energy transition.
