Lebanon Innovate is transforming the country’s innovation ecosystem by aligning universities, industry, and funders around a shared commercialization strategy.
Innovety designed national innovation policy frameworks for three sector-focused Knowledge & Innovation Communities (KICs) in agrifood, healthcare, and ICT, supported by comprehensive stakeholder mapping to connect fragmented actors under a unified knowledge transfer and tech-transfer strategy—a hallmark of our innovation consulting services.
We restructured the LIRA program—Lebanon’s national digital innovation platform—to better link academic research outputs and commercialization opportunities, and developed the business model for an innovation platform to inspire, educate, and connect innovators across the triple helix model of university-industry-government collaboration.
To strengthen academic entrepreneurship and universities’ innovation capacity, we assessed the research and technology transfer capabilities of eight leading research institutions, delivering tailored commercialization roadmaps, intellectual property (IP) management policies, TT office operating models, and the GICO framework to unlock international research funding and innovation grants.
Our work culminated in a unified Body of Knowledge—comprehensive guides, templates, and toolkits—to anchor Lebanon’s sustainable innovation infrastructure for the long term.
Lebanon’s research and innovation ecosystem lacked the governance structure and mechanisms to move academic research into the market through effective technology commercialization. Sector-focused Knowledge & Innovation Communities (KICs) in agrifood, healthcare, and ICT were underdeveloped, with no unified innovation management strategy connecting public, private, and academic players in a triple helix model.
Stakeholders remained fragmented, with no shared innovation platform to align incentives or advance research valorization and commercialization. LIRA—the national digital collaboration tool—lacked strategic direction for knowledge transfer, and no central innovation hub existed to inspire, educate, or connect innovators and facilitate academic entrepreneurship.
Universities operated without dedicated tech-transfer offices, comprehensive IP policies, or operational models for technology licensing and spin-off creation. Their ability to attract global research and innovation funding was limited by weak institutional systems and insufficient innovation management support tools.
Key pain points:
• No national strategy: Ecosystem players were disconnected and lacked a common commercialization framework.
• Underused digital tools: LIRA and other platforms lacked clear mandates to link research and industry.
• Gaps in university systems: Institutions had no TT structures, IP policies, or tools to access international funding.
Strategizing national innovation priorities through policy frameworks:
Innovety began by designing comprehensive innovation management strategies for three sector-focused Knowledge & Innovation Communities (KICs) in agrifood, healthcare, and ICT, aligning them with national development goals and industry R&D needs. This work was grounded in a comprehensive stakeholder mapping exercise, which identified gaps and opportunities across academia, industry, and innovation support institutions—laying the foundation for a unified knowledge and tech-transfer strategy based on international best practices.
Redesigning national digital innovation collaboration platforms:
We restructured LIRA, Lebanon’s national digital collaboration platform, to better link research outputs with industry demand through advanced matching algorithms and knowledge transfer mechanisms. In parallel, we designed the business model for a national innovation platform to serve as a one-stop shop—connecting innovators, providing innovation management resources, and promoting technology commercialization and startup incubation.
Strengthening universities’ research valorization and commercialization capacity:
Innovety assessed the research management and tech-transfer potential of eight leading research universities, including the American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanese University (UL), and University of Saint Joseph (USJ). Based on this comprehensive assessment, we developed tailored commercialization roadmaps, established robust IP management policies, and designed operational models for technology transfer (TT) offices enabling technology licensing and spin-off creation in each institution.
Enabling access to global innovation funding mechanisms:
To equip universities with the tools to pursue international research and innovation opportunities, Innovety created the Grants & International Cooperation Office (GICO) framework. This strategic model enables universities to access Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and diaspora funding for R&D projects, supported by tools like DARPE for proposal scouting and development across various technology readiness levels.
Standardizing national innovation management practices:
We consolidated this work into a unified Body of Knowledge—a comprehensive TT guidebook, along with templates and toolkits for IP management, technology licensing, and research commercialization following international standards.
Focusing on long-term innovation ecosystem sustainability:
At every stage, Innovety emphasized building innovation governance strategy, structures, and institutional capacity for knowledge transfer, ensuring Lebanon’s innovation ecosystem is equipped to scale and achieve measurable innovation metrics well beyond the life of the project.
Lebanon Innovate has given the Lebanese ecosystem the structure it long needed. Innovety designed and developed the strategy of three sectoral Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) in agrifood, healthcare, and ICT whereby 100+ stakeholders from the public and private sectors collaborated. Innovety also restructured Lebanon’s national program (LIRA) for supporting university researchers to commercialize their research.
In addition, Innovety developed the operational and business model for Lebanon’s Innovation Resource Platform (IRP) which stands as a one stop destination to inspire, educate and connect researchers and innovators across Lebanon. Finally, Innovety built the IP policies and commercialization roadmaps for 8 universities inclusive of Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), while developing a national body of knowledge to guide research and commercialization practices. For the first time, universities and industries share a unified path to innovation, making Lebanon’s system stronger and more connected.
