Water Resources Research in Chile

Given the water resources characteristics in Chile and the new challenges in these matters, the importance of a constant development of research is recognized. In this chapter we review the investment in Research and Development in water resources in Chile and its incidence on the economic growth of the country during the last decades, following with the evolution of research challenges. Also, the research’s public policy for the investment in water resources research is outlined, including public funds, funded investigation, the contribution of every research fund, and the comparison between the annual contribution of the State to funding research and its relationship with the GDP. Finally, some of the research areas and topics handled are exposed.