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Building effective cooperation between industry, academia, and research centers to address the research and development needs of the Lebanese industry, empowering the industrial sector with innovations worthy of promoting competitiveness and productivity, for the aim of achieving a transition from thewelfare economy to the knowledge economy

Since its initiation, the program has attained its aim of providing a unique opportunity for researchers in universities and vocational schools by offering them satisfying job opportunities to suit their capabilities and potential. Furthermore, the program brought about a great achievement for the industrial sector, increasing the competitiveness of the national industry by creating higher added value products, developing production lines, and innovating low cost high-tech machinery.

That's how it all began:

In 1997, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, the National Council for Scientific Research, and some universities in Lebanon, with the cooperation of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, agreed to initiate a yearly forum: the Conference of Industrial Research & Development, and The Exhibition of Industrial Research Achievements.

This event, which brings together innovative academic and manufacturing expertise, provides a unique opportunity for industry, academia and research centers, both public and private, to meet and exchange their findings relating to the main theme of linking the outputs of scientific research to the needs of the industrial sector .

The first exhibition in 1997 showcased applied research that had been accomplished in a collaborative effort between industry, academia and vocational schools. Furthermore, the exhibit was subject to scientific evaluation, whereby excellence in applied research was rewarded.

Then, and in consequence to the encouraging results of the first Conference and Exhibition in 1997, and the second in 1998 where prizes were given out to top projects; new universities joined the forum, as well as the Ministry of Industry and ESCWA joining the list of the program's founding partners. At that stage, a consensus was reached among all parties associated to continue this event and to adopt it as a National innovation program, namely LIRA Program (Lebanese Industrial Research Achievements). A qualified team under the management of a General Coordinator was chosen to implement the objectives of the program.

This encouraged technological innovation for the purpose of upgrading production processes, creating jobs compatible with the ambitions and capabilities of our graduates, and “incubating” new ideas (many of which were directly sponsored by industrialists) that may be turned into start-up businesses. In the last few years, this event has led, on one hand, to the development of several production lines in industry and introduction of new firms; and on the other hand, to improved university standards, particularly Engineering and Science programs and curricula .

These encouraging results of the past years increased the faith amongst Lebanese industrialists in the potential of the young graduates in the fields of Engineering and Science. On the other hand, those results increased the faith amongst the young generation in the Lebanese Industry. Industrialists were now aware of the importance of enhancing the capabilities of research labs in universities, and Engineering schools were now revising their curricula for the aim of attaining more industry oriented research; creating a general atmosphere of promising cooperation between industry and academia on the National level.

At the present, the program is a collaboration between the founders, in addition to leading Lebanese companies which took on the sponsorship of the program: INDEVCO Group, SAKR Holding, GEMAYEL FRERES SAL, and LIBANCELL in previous years till year 2002, hoping we could attract even more leading local and international companies interested in what we do and ready to cooperate with the LIRA Program.

1.  Encourage university-industry cooperation (towards the knowledge economy)

2.  Match university activities/research with industry needs/problems (towards increasing productivity)

3.  Seek industrial sponsorship for proposed university projects (encouraging researchers)

4.  Offer a national platform for potential new products and services (supporting university labs)

5.  Support engineering and science students to implement  their research/projects into industrial prototypes at minimum cost (reducing brain drain)

6.  Provide industrial training, especially on new technologies and mould manufacturing, to fresh graduates and engineers (creating job vacancies)

•  Annual Conference and Exhibition for Research Achievements (LIRA Forum)

•  Regular contact with industrialists and universities/vocational schools to match research with industry needs through the LIRA Office in the Ministry of Industry

•  Undertaking or participating in activities implemented to promote industry-research coordination

•  A TECHNOPOLE under the direct supervision and management of the LIRA Program to promote Industrial training and implement Engineering research into industrial prototypes

•  Establishing and supporting vocational training centers in the Mechatronics field

•  Coordinating and cooperating with other Arab and International organizations with similar objectives

	Number of participating projects*	Number of participating academic institutions	Number of participating industrialists	Number of Projects employed by Industry
LIRA1	48	2	15	10
LIRA2	56	7	21	14
LIRA3	78	8	30	20
LIRA4	55	10	15	9
LIRA5	66	10	22	11
LIRA6	50	10	23	19
LIRA7	24	14	10	10
LIRA8	38	17	11	9

And again, from LIRA4 through LIRA6, thegrowth rates were very encouraging, where the number of projects applied in production reached 100% knowing that the number of accepted projects to participate was the same as before, as well as the number of universities and factories; proving that the revision of the evaluation criteria was appropriate at that time, raising the performance level of the academic institutions.

Unfortunately, in LIRA 7, and after postponing the exhibition twice due to political instabilities, only 24 out of 35 accepted projects were able to participate in the exhibition, but on the positive side, LIRA7 held an increase in the number of participating academic institutions and in the number of projects with industrial orientation that have actually been translated into industrial applications. In fact, all LIRA7 projects that were sponsored by industrialists have been employed by the latter and put into production.

Once again, the project evaluation criteria were revised and the acceptance conditions taken to a higher level; thus in LIRA8, and out of 90 projects applying for participation, only 42 were accepted upon inspection by a common academic-industrial committee that visited participating institutions to assess all projects. Finally 38 out of the 42 accepted projects were distinguished by an industrial orientation. Out of those projects, 11 were sponsored by industrialists, of which 9 were actually employed in production, i.e. 80%.