Despite the ongoing regional challenges and travel restrictions linked to the recent escalating conflicts, Lebanon continues to demonstrate resilience and innovation. Under the Lebanon Innovate initiative, and with the support of ELCIM at the Industrial Research Institute, a successful soft landing mission is currently underway in Spain and France.
This mission is fostering valuable connections between Lebanese innovation stakeholders and leading European ecosystems in the Basque region.
The delegation, consisting of:
Rita Fares: Focal Point from KIC Healthcare,
Fabienne Balaa: Executive Director of IraLeb, and
Dany Azzi: Director of eLearning & Lifelong Learning at NDU
has successfully engaged in high-impact meetings and exchanges, despite the current geopolitical context.
🌍 Key Visits and Engagements:
BIC ARABA (Vitoria, Spain): Introduction to incubation services, a tour of facilities with Mireia MartĂnez, and a deep dive into the Basque local innovation market.
BAT | B Accelerator Tower (Bilbao, Spain): Insightful presentations on **BIND’s Open Innovation Program, GovTech, and a session with **Nagore Tellado*, Director of the Tech-transfer Office at UPV/EHU.
ESTIA Technopole (Bidart, France)*: Introduction by the host incubator that regroups an engineering school and a community of entrepreneurs about their organisation, facilities and services with a tour of the facilities.
Presentation on local market trends, industry insights, challenges and opportunities for companies/beneficiaries with ecosystem players, local SMEs, and mentors exploring market trends and fostering dialogue on future partnerships.
🧩 Purpose & Impact:
This mission is part of a broader soft-landing initiative designed to integrate Lebanese startups and innovators into international innovation ecosystems.
It aims to forge new partnerships, unlock opportunities, and bring home best practices particularly for Lebanese beneficiaries such as universities, Kics members and LIRA program startups and innovators.
More than just a visit, this mission lays the foundation for actionable collaborations between Lebanese institutions and European counterparts boosting tech transfer, entrepreneurial support, and sustainable development.
📅 What’s Next:
The Lebanese delegation will continue its engagement tomorrow by participating in the R&I summit and EBN Congress in Spain barakaldo, further embedding Lebanon’s innovation voice into Europe’s premier business and innovation network.
This mission is a testament to Lebanon’s commitment to innovation and international collaboration the Lebanese team said.
Plans are underway to translate these strategic connections into tangible support for Lebanese innovators, researchers, and SMEs.
