ProjectsSupport to the European-Lebanese Centre for Industrial Modernisation (ELCIM II)

The overall objective is to assist the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) in developing a long-term capacity to host, manage and develop the European Lebanese Center for Industrial Modernisation (ELCIM) as a professional and increasingly financially self-sustainable service provider of high-quality business upgrading services, primarily targeting manufacturing SMEs.

The Contract includes two specific objectives:

Capacity building at IRI.

• The Contractor will support the rapid “anchoring” of ELCIM’s functions and processes within the existing organization of the Industrial Research Institute. ELCIM will become a permanent department of IRI reporting to its Director-General.
• This process will entail assistance to IRI by the Contractor in creating a cost-effective specialized business support unit capable of quickly adopting international best practices.
• Within this objective, IRI will also receive assistance in integrating ELCIM within the broader national SME support framework being developed in Lebanon. The fulfillment of this objective will be achieved mainly through the assignment of relevant expertise as well as day-to-day mentoring from the international experts to their Lebanese counterparts.

Provide direct business advisory services.

• The Contractor’s expertise will also be mobilized to take part in advisory activities to SMEs supported by ELCIM. This will both serve the purpose of supporting at least 170 companies throughout the duration of the Contract.
• Direct advisory activities by the Contractor will provide guidance to the local business advisers inappropriately responding to the needs of the companies.
• Particular emphasis will be placed on finance-related advisory services for which one expert with international experience will be assigned on a full-time basis.

Type of services provided:
• Assist IRI in establishing all the management functions of ELCIM in accordance with international practice for effective business support services
• Help set up the structure of a Human resource for ELCIM (training needs analysis, develop in-house training program combining on-the-job training and formal training sessions)
• Assist in elaborating work processes and workflows with associated institutions including leading private sector institutions (Kafalat, chamber of commerce, etc)
• Advise IRI in improving information systems focused on the management needs of ELCIM and its enterprise portfolio.
• Develop a complete workflow enabling the timely processing of clients’ requests from the initial visit to the delivery of the required support services
• Support ELCIM in developing a fully operational Financial Unit with adequate linkages with Kafalat and other financial institutions.
• Support IRI and the Federation of the Chamber of Commerce in developing the regional outreach of ELCIM.
• Advise IRI in integrating ELCIM with the broader SME support network simultaneously developed by the MoET. The contractor will further develop coordination with MoET to work on a variety of cross-cutting issues, i.e. coordination of international aid, business-enabling legislation, development of SME financing schemes, etc.
• Propose, develop and deliver demand-driven training packages targeting manufacturing SMEs.
• Development of ToRs for short-term technical assistance assignments for SMEs
• Propose and monitor promotional campaigns to increase ELCIM’s visibility at a national level.