​The Faculty of Engineering (FOE) at the University of Balamand is proud to announce that it has secured research funding for two major projects through the Erasmus+ Programme – Capacity Building in Higher Education, Call EAC/A02/2019 for EU co-funding. UOB is actively engaged in 2 out of the six projects in which Lebanese universities are part of, and 1 of 2 Lebanese universities leading on a project.
 
The University of Balamand is a partner of the project “Urban and transPortation reGeneration for Reducing Automobile Dependency in mEna (UPGRADE)” in which the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Center are engaged. This promising project will incur a positive environmental impact on the MENA region. The project will benefit from UOB’s venerable and extensive expertise in transportation engineering, which will be an integral part of the university’s contribution to the project. The consortium led by Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany, was granted funding of 875,150.00 Euros, engaging a multidisciplinary team from FOE consisting of Drs. Joseph Assaad (Materials & Structures), Najib Gerges (Transportation), Dana Nasr (Structures), Amal Iaaly (GIS), Yasmine Jabaly (Water Resources), and Marianne Saba (Hydrogeology).
 
The project aims to reduce dependency on personal automobiles in transportation in the MENA region, a problem with multifaceted repercussions, especially on the environment and the economy. The project intends to strengthen the relationship between Higher Education Institutions and the broader economic and social environment by directing research to address transportation challenges in the MENA region. This entails reforms to educational curricula, especially in the field of transportation and related areas.
 
Dr. Joseph Assaad, Chairperson of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, commended the team's descriptive work to meet the project objectives and outlines. He believes that this project fits very well within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s vision that fosters the best teaching practices while promoting high-quality research activities.
 
Vice President for Engagement and Internationalization Professor Rami Abboud congratulated the UOB team on their efforts in such a promising project for Lebanon and the region. Prof. Abboud underlined the role of the University of Balamand as a leading institution of higher education to advance knowledge engaging in applied research for improving living standards in Lebanon and the region. “Through such collaboration and many more we are truly taking Balamand to the world and bringing the world to Balamand” he concluded.