Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) signed on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Pierre Abou Khater Auditorium, NDU main campus, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS).
In attendance were: NDU President Fr. Walid Moussa, NDU Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Elie Badr, NDU Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications Suheil Matar, AVP for Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Ghazi Asmar Assistant Vice President for Academic Support Dr. Simon Abou Jaoudeh, Dean of Students Ms. Joyce Menassa, NDU Faculty deans, CNRS Secretary-General Dr. Mouïn Hamzé, and University of Balamand Vice-President Dr. Georges Nahas.
In his welcome note, Matar welcomed the guests and highlighted the importance of linking teaching and research, especially since NDU is a University of the Third Millennium.
For his part, Fr. Moussa stressed on the importance of the continuing initiatives to develop research across the board. He praised Dr. Hamzé’s hard work in managing current research grants as well as in continuing to seek new funding opportunities. Fr. Moussa firmly believed that the NDU-CNRS MoU would serve as a springboard to boost future research efforts.
Dr. Nahas also said a few words. He considered that research (or the lack thereof) was not only a CNRS responsibility but also an imperative university duty (…) He recommended a significant increase in the exchange of research among universities so that “our research is taken more seriously.”
Dr. Hamzé presented the programs supported by the CNRS to better explain how research grants are used. The current MoU, he explained, was the third agreement signed to support scientific research programs, which are divided as follows: one-third for medical research, one-third for engineering research, one-third for environmental and agricultural research, and 8 percent for social research.
Accordingly, NDU, represented by Fr. Moussa, and the CNRS, represented by Dr. Hamzé, signed the MoU, and a separate MoU was signed between the CNRS and the University of Balamand, represented by Dr. Nahas.