On May 13, the Delegation of the European Union participated in the seventh edition of the annual Smart IP for Latin America (SIPLA) conference, held at the Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción (UCSC) in Concepción, Chile.
This year’s central theme—Towards a sustainable hydrogen market in Latin America—placed hydrogen at the heart of the debate, with special focus on hydrogen produced from renewable sources as one of the region’s most promising energy prospects.
The discussion was structured around four integrated lines, spanning from the current state and future outlook of hydrogen technologies and their derivatives, to the design of regulatory and governance frameworks capable of providing the legal certainty required to attract new investments.
The conference reviewed progress in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Colombia, examining national and regional strategies to diversify energy matrices, reduce emissions, and strengthen competitive positioning in global markets. Participants highlighted initiatives to stimulate domestic demand and underlined the link to food security—particularly through green ammonia-based fertilizers. They also presented technological projects aimed at producing sustainable fuels, such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and methanol.
The agenda also dedicated attention to the role of intellectual property and capacity building. The event concluded with an analysis of the conditions necessary to scale a regional market grounded in social legitimacy and oriented toward lasting, long-term benefits for the involved communities.
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