Luis E. Lucero, Argentina’s top mining authority, held a productive meeting with the leadership team of SMI Chile, the Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute at The University of Queensland, and the Australian Ambassador to Chile, with the aim of exploring potential avenues for collaboration between SMI Chile — The University of Queensland’s International Centre in Chile — and Argentina’s mining ecosystem.
The meeting, held at SMI Chile’s headquarters, was attended by Rick Valenta, Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute; Andrew Martin, Australian Ambassador to Chile; Alvin D’Almaida, Trade and Investment Commissioner for Chile and Peru representing the Australian diplomatic mission; Francisca Rivero, Acting Executive Director and General Manager of SMI Chile; and the leaders of the Centre’s various areas.
On the occasion, Francisca Rivero thanked Argentina’s senior mining authority for the valuable opportunity to connect and explore potential pathways for collaboration with the mining sector of the neighbouring country. “We greatly appreciate you making time for us in the midst of your busy schedule,” she said. “We already have an established working relationship with Argentina’s mining sector, but we are keen to strengthen it further, as we do with other countries across the region. In Argentina, we have developed several projects with UCASAL and the National University of San Juan, primarily focused on training and capacity-building for the mining sector, through a joint initiative with the Australian Government’s Department of Education.”
Rivero also provided an overview of SMI Chile’s capabilities, highlighting the most significant projects developed over the Centre’s 12-year trajectory.
For his part, Secretary of Mining Luis E. Lucero raised several questions and explored areas of mutual interest in greater depth, expressing his full willingness to strengthen collaboration between Argentina’s mining sector and The University of Queensland through SMI Chile and the Sustainable Minerals Institute. “I will do everything in my power,” he stated, “to ensure that this meeting marks the beginning of an ongoing working relationship that will help address the challenges facing Argentina’s mining industry.”
During his visit to Chile, in the context of CESCO Week 2026, Argentina’s Secretary of Mining also met with Chile’s Minister of Economy and Mining, Daniel Mas, as part of a joint agenda aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation through the Mining Integration and Complementation Treaty between the two countries, with the objective of accelerating cross-border projects governed under this framework.
Check out a short video of this meeting
