Early-career researchers in Chile: findings from a national survey on conditions, challenges, and institutional perceptions.

Chile's investment in postgraduate training has produced a highly qualified cohort of early-career researchers. Yet little is known about how these researchers experience employment conditions, access to competitive funding, and the institutional environment in which they pursue their careers. Here, we report findings from a national survey of 267 early-career researchers working in Chile, examining training trajectories, employment conditions, grant-seeking experiences, time allocation, caregiving responsibilities, and perceptions of recent institutional reforms. Respondents reported high levels of intrinsic job satisfaction, particularly regarding intellectual challenge, autonomy, and the social value of their work. At the same time, they expressed concerns about contractual instability, workload intensity, and insufficient income. Nearly half held a second job, and those with caregiving responsibilities allocated less time to research. Care responsibilities were more frequently reported by women, who devoted substantially more time to caregiving than men. Participation in competitive funding programs varied across career stages, with higher application and success rates in entry-level schemes than in more advanced grant competitions. Gender differences were also observed in progression toward senior funding opportunities. Notably, a substantial proportion of unfunded proposals had received positive evaluations, suggesting that part of the country's research capacity remains unsupported despite being competitively viable. This reveals an unrealized scientific potential and a gap between Chile's expanding scientific base and the public investment available to sustain it. Although recent institutional reforms were perceived as contributing to greater diversity and regional participation, respondents identified limited improvements in overall funding levels and the international impact of Chilean research. These findings provide an empirical characterization of the working conditions and career challenges faced by early-career researchers in Chile, highlighting persistent structural barriers related to career consolidation, funding access, gender equity, and work-life balance.