October 1, 2019 – The Faculty of Engineering (FE) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Houmal Technology Park (HTP). The signing took place in the conference room of the Office of the President at NDU, between NDU President Fr. Pierre Najem, and CEO of MultiLane sal and founder of HTP, Mr. Fadi Daou. NDU Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Elie Badr, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Michel El Hayek, and Dean of Students, Dr. Charbel Zgheib, were also present alongside a delegation from HTP and other NDU faculty and staff.
Fr. Najem emphasized the importance of MoUs with local companies saying: “We not only need to work on the academic side, but also to prepare our students to become future leaders. We are very glad to have this partnership and cooperation, as a leading institution of higher education, to build such a future for our students.”
The agreement aims for NDU and HTP to help bridge the gap between academia and industry. In practical terms, it aims at engaging the NDU faculty and senior students in advanced research and development programs at HTP, offering free applied training to all NDU engineering students on campus which complements the existing curricula, providing a “cooperation program” to students in the form of paid training and internships, and giving faculty opportunities around research and education to develop products, sustain growth, and build capacity for job creation in the technology sector in Lebanon.
“The ultimate goal,” said Daou, “is to stem the tide of exporting our young minds, get multinationals involved, and create a critical mass of talents to make a viable semiconductor center in Lebanon.”