IDEAL

Innovation and Development of Academic Industry Partnerships through Efficient Research Administration in Lebanon (IDEAL)

As a national structural measure, the project seeks to strengthen inputs and outputs for research, development, and innovation in Lebanon by aligning national governmental bodies with higher education institutions (HEIs) and industry partners for the goal of improving the country's economic strength and global competitiveness.

The IDEAL project seeks to augment inputs and outputs for research, development and innovation (RD&I) in Lebanon which will eventually lead to the improvement of the country's economic strength and global competitiveness. The goal of the project is to enhance and support research and innovation in Lebanon through the establishment of the infrastructure and support systems needed in higher education institutions and provide the platform for academics and researchers to excel at producing new knowledge and to transfer their knowledge to the industry for the benefit of the greater Lebanese society.

In the long term, the project aims to impact economic growth in Lebanon through increased productivity and competitiveness that comes from science, technology, and innovation (STI). The objectives of the project respond to the priority of the National Structural Measures set by the EU Tempus project, "to develop enterprise partnerships within governance systems of institutions of higher education to benefit society," and addresses Lebanon's national priorities as outlined by the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS).

The project objectives are:

• Develop and build capable research support systems within Lebanese Universities,
• Create networks to transfer innovation from academia to industry, and
• Establish professional structures between government, academia, and industry for long-term management of Research Development and Innovation (RDSI) outcome for Lebanon.

This is a three-year project funded by the Tempus IV program on behalf of the European Union for a three year period.

The project will be led by the American University of Beirut, AUB with 14 other partners which include four Lebanese Universities, five European Universities, three national bodies, a foundation, and two industrial associations, namely the following:

• Ministry of Education and Higher Education
• National Council for Scientific Research
• Lebanese University
• Beirut Arab University
• Modern University for Business and Science
• University of Balamand
• University of Staffordshire FH JOANNEUM GmbH
• University of Alicante
• The University of Bari
• Technological Educational Institute of Larissa
• Lebanese Industrial Research Achievement Program
• Info-Pro
• Mowgli Foundation

The following include the set of goals which the project will strive to achieve:

• Research Support Offices established in Lebanese HEIs
• New HEI staff trained on Research Administration and Technology Transfer
• E-Learning Courses developed on various aspects of research funding and administration
• A Comprehensive Database of industry and research interests
• New Partnerships between academia and industry
• A Research Administration Certification program
• Establishing and Launching an Innovation Park
• Establishing and Launching an Association of Research Administration
• Publishing an IDEAL Research Administration and Guide Book