Our History

The Institute of Applied Ethics UC was established as an academic unit in 2022 (Rector’s Decree No. 137/2022). From 2018 onwards, University authorities worked on the Institute of Applied Ethics UC project, considering it a necessary initiative given the diversity and complexity of ethical problems that are gaining increasing importance across different fields — such as climate change, the world of business and commerce, wealth distribution, communications, technology, the relationship with animals, and most particularly within our own work as an institution of higher education. In this regard, UC seeks to prioritize the development of the habit of ethical discernment, both at the professional and civic levels, as well as the contribution to public debate on matters of applied ethics. The Institute of Applied Ethics UC joins a long history at the University of training in applied ethics, through professional ethics courses offered across various degree programs, the activities of the Bioethics Centre (established in 1993), the Academic Integrity Program, and the Scientific Ethics Committees of the UC Ethics Unit.

The IEA is an interdisciplinary unit for education, research, and community engagement. The academic community of this institute includes the 18 faculties of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, the College UC, and the Villarrica Regional Campus.