InvestChile Blog

INLiSa opens RFI for its Lithium and Salt Flats Pilot Platform

Written by InvestChile | December,3,2025

The National Lithium and Salt Flats Institute (Instituto Nacional de Litio y Salares, INLiSa) has launched an international call to co-design its new pilot platform. This unique platform will allow users to validate their technologies using real brines, under standards of traceability, technical rigor and environmental protection.

The National Lithium and Salt Flats Institute (Instituto Nacional de Litio y Salares, INLiSa) has invited technology developers, research centers and industrial partners from around the world to participate in its request for information (RFI), aimed at jointly defining the future Pilot Platform for Lithium and Salt Flat Technologies.

The initiative seeks to accelerate innovation, reduce technological risks and strengthen a responsible development ecosystem around lithium, one of Chile’s strategic resources.

A unique platform for lithium and salt flat technologies

INLiSa is moving forward in the creation of a Pilot Platform for Lithium and Salt Flat Technologies, which will integrate modular infrastructure and provide access to real brines sourced from Chilean salt flats.

This space will function as a neutral, controlled and pre-competitive environment, allowing companies, startups and research teams to test, optimize and validate their technologies with technical rigor, traceable data and environmental safeguards, in accordance with current regulations.

The platform will also offer analytical services, integrated quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), and specialized technical support, creating the necessary conditions to transform innovation into real-world performance.

Who is INLiSa looking for?

The RFI is aimed at developers and research groups who need reliable data, demanding environments and expert support to move from the lab to real-world applications. According to INLiSa, the call is directed at teams capable of:

  • Piloting and validating brine extraction, processing and handling solutions.
  • Demonstrating performance with real brines, beyond simulations.
  • Collaborating in a secure environment, with intellectual property protection.
  • Demonstrating scalability and industrial relevance.
  • Co-developing capabilities aligned with responsible resource management.

The institute has emphasized that proposals will be accepted at all levels of technological maturity, from early concepts to advanced pilot projects.

Technologies of interest

The call includes, but is not limited to, the following areas:

  • Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE)
  • Processing of solids (lithium clays and other non-brine matrices)
  • Purification and upgrading of concentrated brines
  • Alternative routes to high-purity products (LiOH, LiCl, specialized salts)
  • Recovery and reinjection of brines
  • Materials, sensors and instrumentation resistant to high salinity
  • Advanced modeling, sensing and process digitization
  • Circular economy and valorization of effluents and discarded salts
  • Scientific and biotechnological applications requiring real brines

INLiSa emphasizes that the call is not yet for a pilot project, but for a co-design phase. It states: «If your technology is ready to be tested under demanding conditions and provide evidence, we want to hear your requirements to incorporate them into the design».

Benefits for potential users

The platform will offer key advantages for teams looking to accelerate their development:

  • Access to real brines from Chilean salt flats
  • Modular piloting with lower cost and risk
  • Integrated analytical and QA/QC services
  • Catalog of brines with metadata
  • Specialized technical support
  • Performance benchmarking
  • Assistance with permits and compliance
  • Connections with scientific and technological networks
  • Advanced monitoring and process digitization
  • Global visibility from a strategic lithium hub

How to participate in the RFI

Step 1 → Complete the form: Available at www.inlisa.cl/pilot-platform 

The following will be requested:

  • Organization profile
  • Description and maturity level of the technology
  • Application of the pilot project’s objective and goals
  • Input and infrastructure requirements
  • Collaboration interests

Step 2 → Identify confidential elements: All information marked as confidential will be treated with complete protection.

Step 3 → Submit before January 15, 2026 – 23:59 (Chile time)

Inquiries: pilotplatform@inlisa.cl

INLiSa: A bridge to sustainable lithium development

INLiSa represents a concrete expression of the Chilean State’s commitment to the responsible development of lithium and the protection of salt flat ecosystems.

The institute’s public mandate gives it a unique position to articulate diverse knowledge, capabilities and interests.

Since its creation, the institute has sought to be a space for dialogue, research and collaboration, aimed at building a balanced, transparent lithium industry based on local realities.