The Industrial Research Institute - IRI, EMPHASIS, ENI CBC MED funded project, project partner in Lebanon, is looking for a Technical Expert for the management of innovation vouchers and advisory services for the EMPHASIS project. 

The main responsibilities of the technical expert will be the following:

• Manage innovation vouchers schemes- in order to raise SME’s innovation competencies and draft cross-border innovation projects with peers from other participant countries.
• Manage advisory and provide services to cover Market & financial aspects such as problem definition, value proposition definition and business model development, through mentoring and coaching schemes that result exploitation and commercialization roadmaps.
• Manage regional Training Seminars on Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management & Technology Transfer in order to enhance beneficiaries' business skills.
• Assist SME’s through bridging services (joint concepts and missions) with the most promising Euromed partners to co-develop concepts by acquiring external know-how from both industrial and research partners
• Provide support services via face-to-face, skype or telephone meetings with the beneficiaries for profiling the innovation potential of the selected solutions or offers by the SMEs, estimating the technology and market readiness level of the innovations and drafting of the respective reports, both for each beneficiary and for the EMPHASIS project.
• Provide Coaching & mentoring support services via face-to-face, skype or telephone meetings with the beneficiaries for new business opportunities identification by examining the technological and the market feasibility, as well as explore the most promising cooperation, exploitation and commercialization options for their solution/offer (innovation/ product/service).
• Set up and implementing an efficient training impact evaluation system for the trainees, as well as for gathering the trainees’ feedback regarding the thematic, trainers and training material provision, as well as proposals for improvements.
• Manage and follow on Company missions matching the technologies & services offered by beneficiary SMEs to actual needs of industry bringing innovation donors& receivers into contact. Provision of brokering services to the final beneficiaries and the most promising crossborder Euromed industrial, research or investor partner and organization of the OI mission, aiming to achieve strategic partnerships for cross-border innovation.

Qualifications and skills:

• A Master’s degree in business , economics or equivalent; Marketing is an asset. 

 Professional experience:

• At least 5 years of business advisory services ;
• At least 5 years experience in coaching and mentoring services with SME’s / startups
• At least 5 years of proven experience working with SMEs and/or academia/research institutions in middle income countries;
• At least 3 years experience with international organizations or internationally funded projects;
• At least 3 years experience in trainings and training management
• At least 2 years experience in managing Innovation Vouchers Schemes and vouchers projects evaluation.
• Good reporting skills
• Excellent knowledge of English; French is an asset.

The project “EMPHASIS” (Euro-Mediterranean Network Facilitating Market Uptake of Innovations from SMEs) main goal is to facilitate the market uptake of innovations from SMEs by fostering their access to research, partnerships and innovation systems at the Euro Mediterranean Region.

Specific objectives include:

• Designing and setting up an Open Innovation (OI) system that offers integrated innovation support services.
• Validating OI opportunities and increasing the capacities of SMEs to innovate.
• Fostering cross-border partnerships and boosting engagement among innovation partners to turn external knowledge and sustainability challenges into tangible business opportunities for growth.
• Engaging policy makers and stakeholders to build a vibrant community of OI actors.

The deadline for the submission of applications for the vacancy is February 2^nd, 2022.
Please contact Ms. Manal Tabanji on 009615465609 or e-mail: m.tabanji@elcim-lb.org